CHP Tekirdag Deputy Dr. Candan Yüceer pointed out that cancer statistics in Turkey have not been disclosed since 2017 and said, “The Ministry has been hiding cancer data for 5 years. This is a public health issue,” he said. CHP PM Member, Dr. Candan Yüceer pointed out that cancer statistics in Turkey have not been disclosed since 2017 and said, “The Ministry has been hiding cancer data for 5 years. This is a public health issue. Cancer cases are increasing day by day in the world and in Turkey, but the latest data on cancer statistics in our country was announced by the Ministry of Health in 2017.
“CANCER CAUSES ONE OF EVERY FIVE DEATHS IN TURKEY”
Dr. Yüceer asked Health Minister Fahrettin Koca why cancer data has not been disclosed for 5 years. Stating that cancer is a complex disease, Dr. Yüceer, “Cancer is named according to the tissue in which it occurs. More than 200 types have been identified. The most common and fatal cancer types are lung, stomach, liver, colon and breast cancer. In the study titled ‘Turkey Cancer Statistics’, which was last published by the General Directorate of Public Health of the Ministry of Health in 2017, ‘Cancer ranks second among the causes of death in our country and in the world. Globally, one of every 6 deaths, and one of every 5 deaths in our country is due to cancer. About one-third of deaths from cancer; It is caused by five major behavioral and nutritional risk factors: tobacco use, high body mass index (being overweight or obese), low consumption of fruits and vegetables, insufficient physical activity and alcohol use. Tobacco use is the most important risk factor for cancer and is responsible for approximately 22% of cancer deaths.
“THE NATIONAL RESOURCES ARE WASTED AS THERE IS NO CANCER DATA”
Reminding that the importance of cancer registry was emphasized in the report of the Ministry of Health, Dr. In the report of the Ministry of Health, Yüceer said, “Cancer registry provides important contributions to cancer control in a number of ways, from determining the cancer burden and geographical distribution, to understanding the causes of cancer, from population-based survival analyzes to the evaluation of the diagnosis, treatment and quality of care of cancer. Without reliable cancer registry data, cancer control will go in the wrong direction and national resources will be wasted. However, the Ministry of Health has not published the “Turkey Cancer Statistics” study since 2017. In the words of the Ministry of Health, national resources are wasted in vain because there is no reliable cancer registry data. In the same report, it is stated that a total of 180 thousand 288 people were diagnosed with cancer in our country in 2017. On the other hand, in the report, it is stated that ‘the incidence of cancer in Turkey is slightly higher than the incidence in the world’.
“WHY DID YOU NOT PUBLISH THE CANCER DATA, WILL YOU PUBLISH?”
The questions that CHP Yüceer asked Health Minister Fahrettin Koca to answer are as follows:
- Why has the study named “Turkey Cancer Statistics” not been published for 5 years?
- Is the publication of “Turkey Cancer Statistics” on the agenda of your Ministry? If it is on the agenda, when will it be published?
- What is the number of patients diagnosed with cancer in Turkey as of the date of the proposal?
- What is the distribution of the disease according to types, stages, age groups and provinces in patients diagnosed with cancer in Turkey in the last five years?
- What is the number of patients who lost their lives due to cancer in Turkey in the last five years?
- What is the distribution of patients who lost their lives due to cancer by years, types, stages, age groups and provinces?
- How many Oncology Hospitals are there in our country, how is the distribution according to the provinces? In how many of the Oncology Hospitals in our country can chemotherapy and radiotherapy be applied to patients? What are the hospitals where chemotherapy and radiotherapy, also called radiation therapy, can be applied?
- How many patients have been diagnosed with cancer in Tekirdağ in the last five years, what is the distribution by years?
- What is the number of patients who lost their lives due to cancer in Tekirdağ in the last five years?
