By Richard Adrama

CANCER of the cervix ranks highest among the various cancer types causing death in Arua, the district health officer, Dr. Patrick Anguzu, has said.

Anguzu said up to 29 cervical cancer deaths were registered last year.

He was last week addressing journalists in his office on World Cancer Day. This year’s theme was “Cancer can be prevented too”.

Anguzu attributed most of the deaths to delays by patients to seek timely diagnosis and treatment.

“The major challenge is most patients report late, yet cervical cancer can be controlled if detected early,” he explained.

Another type of cancer prevalent in the district, Anguzu noted, is the Burkhit Lymphoma, which is common among children.

If not controlled in time, the disease deforms facial features and internal organs.

Others were 20 cases of prostate cancer, five of digestive tract cancer, 12 of breast cancer, 14 of hyposis cycoma, one of lung cancer and two of cancer of the liver.

About 12 million people are diagnosed with cancer worldwide; 20% of these are attributed to viral and bacterial infections.