Dr. Hossam Abdelghaffar writes: What hasn't happened is also counted: Tumor regression when prevention proves successful.
In medicine, there are noisy victories seen in hospital corridors, and others that go unseen, because they are measured by what did not happen, not by what did happen, by the bed that remained empty, and by the tumor that was not born. From this latter category came the good news brought by the latest estimates of the Global Cancer Observatory «Globocan», issued by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization.
The scales tip in favor of life. Estimates reveal a significant decline in the cancer burden in Egypt between the 2022 and 2024 editions, with the standardized mortality rate decreasing by 23.5% and the standardized incidence rate by 17.2%. This improvement is not attributable to changes in population size, as these rates are age-specific and thus isolate such an effect. In absolute terms, the estimated number of new cases fell from approximately 150,600 to 137,400, and deaths declined from approximately 95,300 to 80,500, all despite a population growth of approximately 9.8% during the same period.
Liver cancer leads the way in this decline, with deaths dropping by 22.1%—approximately 5,953 fewer—and new cases by 16.7%, representing nearly 40% of the overall decrease in mortality. This aligns with the anticipated impact of the presidential initiative "100 Million Healthy Lives," its extensive community screening program, and its treatment of hepatitis C, the leading cause of this type of cancer in Egypt. When a virus is eradicated, an entire cancer recedes along with it.
A new map of tumors has emerged, and with the decline of liver cancer, the ranking of cancers has shifted; breast cancer has become the most common among Egyptians, accounting for approximately 19% of cases, surpassing liver cancer. This reinforces the priority of the early detection programs implemented by the state. Bladder cancer also continues its steady decline, a result of decades of combating schistosomiasis.
The figures presented here are not mere tables to be read, but rather the fruits of patient investment in preventative healthcare and major presidential initiatives, foremost among them the eradication of Hepatitis C. The Ministry continues to strengthen the national cancer registry and early detection programs to solidify this progress.
Behind every number that receded, there was a face that had not disappeared, and a life that had been returned to its people; and that is the primary goal of medicine: to prevent before it cures.
