Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

News

Rich countries dominate cancer league table

BMJ 2011; 342 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d537 (Published 25 January 2011) Cite this as: BMJ 2011;342:d537

Rapid Response:

The need for a Cancer Register in Bangladesh.

I was not surprised by the findings of the report, improved
screening, detection and reporting processes which exist in the developed
nations is a clear indication of the reported rise in the incidence of
cancer.

In comparison for example Bangladesh where medical treatment is at a
premium. The government provided facilities lack medical specialism,
medication and facilities. In contrast Bangladesh boasts of a cancer
institute with approximately 100 cancer specialist across all speciality
serving a population of 160 million. Total cancer care is out of the
question for there are no fully functioning Cancer Hospitals or a Cancer
Registry. The government of Bangladesh needs to rethink its present health
care provisions and work with NGOs. The cost is a major factor for many
developing nations, research has shown an effective awareness programme
may reduce the incidence of developing some cancers by as much as 30%.

We need to assist the developing nation in recognising the need to
establish a cancer register and work with government and NGOs. Cancer
Research Bangladesh is a newly formed NGO which has taken the initiative
to work with Shahjalal University to help establish the nations first
cancer register and recommends Bangladeshi government to implement an
awareness and basic cancer screening programmes as soon as possible in
order to tackle its cancer concerns and report its findings so that we can
obtain an accurate image of cancer status of Bangladesh.

Competing interests: No competing interests

28 January 2011
Moijur A. Rahman
Consultant, Endocrinology.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, QMC Campus, Nottingham, NG7 2UH.