QNA
DOHA
The Qatar National Cancer Registry, part of the National Cancer Program at the Ministry of Public Health, has released data on cancer incidence rates in Qatar for 2018.
In 2018, there were 1,960 new cancer cases, including 20% among Qataris, 80% among residents, 46 percent among females, and 54% among males.
Breast cancer was the most common cancer among all nationalities, accounting for 16.58 percent of all cases, followed by colorectal cancer at 9.44 percent. Thyroid cancer was the third most common cancer, accounting for 6.33 percent of all cases.
Breast cancer was the most common among females of all nationalities, accounting for 39.15 percent of all female cases, followed by thyroid cancer. While in males, colorectal cancer was the most common, accounting for 10.93 percent of all male cancer cases, prostate cancer was the second most common, accounting for 9.52 percent.
In 2018, 46 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in children aged 0-14 years old from all nationalities, with 33 percent being Qataris, 67 percent being residents, and 63 percent being females compared to 37 percent being males. The most common cancer in children was leukemia, which accounted for 32.61 percent of all childhood cancers, followed by brain cancer, which accounted for 13.04 percent of all cancer cases in children.
In terms of survival rates, it was discovered to be among the highest in comparison to other countries, reaching 88 percent for breast cancer in women and nearly 82 percent for colorectal cancer.
Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Hamad Al-Thani, Vice President of the National Cancer Committee at the Ministry of Public Health, said that the Qatar National Cancer Registry is an excellent model for effective partnership and continuous cooperation among all institutions working in the field of cancer, particularly the Hamad Medical Corporation, the Primary Health Care Corporation, and Sidra Medici. He also stated that the Qatar National Cancer Registry is a significant accomplishment and a critical source of information for policymakers and researchers, who should benefit from this data and support its ongoing development.
Dr. Al Hareth Muhammad Al Khater, Chair of the Cancer Information Governance Board CIGB at the Ministry of Public Health, said that data collected from all health service providers for cancer patients go through several procedures to ensure their quality and suitability for use in scientific research, decision-making, and the development and monitoring of national health programs.
Amid Abu Hmaidan, Manager of the Qatar National Cancer Registry, said in this context that the State of Qatar has a national cancer screening program for breast and bowel cancers, through which women aged 45-69 are examined on a regular basis to ensure that they are free of breast cancer, and people aged 50-74 are examined to ensure that they are free of bowel cancer. He encouraged everyone to call 8001112 to make an appointment for an examination.
He also added that detailed information on cancer incidence is available in the Qatar National Cancer
Registry.