Afghan Cancer Care
Opening cancer clinics in Afghanistan focusing on women’s treatment
The Need
Although the current government claims it is funding cancer treatment, there are no results. Afghanistan ranks as the 3rd most corrupt country in the world, only preceded by North Korea (#2) and Somalia (#1). The Afghan Government publicly committed to funding a $135,000,000 cancer clinic in Kabul in 2016; Little progress has been made to decrease the suffering of Afghan citizens due to the failure of this commitment. Further funding of a corrupt government will not help the people in need. An independent group is the only possibility to ease the suffering of the people.
The Goal
DTCare identified a need for cancer clinics in Afghanistan specializing in treatment for women specifically. The clinics will be woman-focused to train and sustain Afghan clinicians, and to increase the survival rate of the most vulnerable cancer victims. Once this clinic is established, the hope is to open another clinic in the cities of Kandahar and Herat.
DTCare’s Proposal
The current situation in Afghanistan makes it one of the most dangerous countries in the world in which to live and work. Marco Gruelle, president of DTCare, intends to work with a dedicated group of individuals with multiple years of combined experience who are willing to return to Afghanistan to assist with this operation. The individuals understand that opening a medical center and cancer clinic to help the most vulnerable and suffering, is now a real possibility. This project creates enormous logistics and security challenges concerning shipping the proper equipment, having personnel on-site, and maintaining health and safety. We hope that DTCare’s hard work will empower people to help save the lives of those in need.
What Experts Are Saying
The American Society of Clinical Oncology
“Afghanistan, with a population of nearly 32.5 million, is the 41st most populous nation in the world. The median age is very young, at 18.4 years, with a high population growth rate of 2.32% (34th in the world), a high birth rate of 38.57/1,000 population (11th in the world), and an even higher death rate of 13.89 deaths/100,000 population (9th in the world). This contributes to a very low life expectancy of 51 years (222nd rank in the world).
The cancer profile in Afghanistan is very different from the profile in high-income countries such as the United States. The most common cancers seen in Afghanistan by incidence include breast, stomach, esophagus, and lip/oral cavity. Cancers of the breast, stomach, esophagus, and lungs contribute the most to cancer-related mortality in this country.
In addition, although the overall incidence may seem low, the overall cancer-related mortality is very high when compared with the overall incidence. For example, in the year 2015, there were 19,656 new cancer cases and 15,211 cancer-related deaths in Afghanistan, accounting for nearly 78% of the incidence. In contrast, for the United States in 2015, there were 1,730,861 new cancer cases and 667,333 cancer-related death, accounting for 38% of the incidence.
There are several issues associated with cancer care in Afghanistan. The primary one consists of the unavailability of accurate data on the actual burden of cancer. Some of the data obtained from GLOBOCAN is not directly from Afghanistan but based on extrapolation from data from neighboring countries. There is no national cancer policy or action plan, and similarly there is a lack of robust cancer registries. Screening for early detection of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers is not generally available at the public primary health-care level. Similarly, radiotherapy or chemotherapy is universally unavailable at the public primary health-care level. Although some facilities existed in the past, the intervening war years destroyed most facilities capable of treating patients with cancer. As a result, many patients travel outside the country to receive cancer care.”
— Cancer on the global stage: Incidence and cancer-related Mortality in Afghanistan
Michael Silbermann
“Current estimates indicate that out of 468 women diagnosed annually with cervical cancer, about 319 of them die annually from the disease...About a 70% mortality rate.”
Based on a survey conducted among the health workers in Afghanistan, it was found that the top five priorities regarding cancer care are:
Scarcity of preventive measures to change the lifestyle of people and reduce the occurrence rate of cancerous diseases.
Absence of data and information regarding cancer care.
Absence of comprehensive diagnostic centers in Afghanistan.
Absence of treatment centers for cancer patients.
Absence of expert health workers to provide prevention, early detection, treatment, and palliative care.
The defeat of corruption, which hampers current efforts
According to the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, it is estimated the annual cost of cancer treatment outside of Afghanistan for Afghans is about 300 Million US Dollars.
The average per capita income in Afghanistan is about 36,000 Afghani’s, or $596.00 USD.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average per capita income in the U.S. is $80,000, or about 13,300% HIGHER than that of Afghanistan.
Effective diagnosis and treatment of cancer symptoms is out of the realm of obtainability and affordability for the overwhelming majority of Afghanis, resulting in the overall mortality rate of 78%--versus 38% in the United States.”
— Cancer care in countries and societies in transition
Dr. Abdullah Maihan
“Breast Cancer is the second major cause of death among Afghan women after childbirth. The latest research on the prevalence of breast cancer in Afghanistan, conducted by World Health Organization (WHO), in 2012, placed the country in the list of nations with highest number of deaths caused by breast cancer.
A large number of people from the rural and conservative parts of the country are hesitant to take their female family members to the diagnostic center because the surgeons are mostly men. Many are unaware of the causes of the deadly disease, its symptoms and, more importantly, about the presence of the center.”
— With just one breast cancer center, Afghanistan struggles to cope with the disease
