Concerted action is needed to improve access to radiation and nuclear medicine in Africa and help address the scourge of cervical cancer, agreed participants of a virtual event held on the side lines of the 64th IAEA General Conference. The event, ‘The role of nuclear technologies to fight cervical cancer in Africa: Past experiences and the way forward’ was organized by the Kingdom of Morocco in partnership with the IAEA, to explore the impact of cervical cancer on women in African countries and identify ways to change the situation.
“Cervical cancer is a preventable and curable disease, if it is detected early and managed effectively,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi during his opening remarks at the event. “The fact that millions of women die from a preventable disease, often in what should be their most productive years, is a great tragedy and the IAEA is doing everything it can to change that.” He explained how the IAEA, in part through collaboration with partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO), helps countries to develop comprehensive cancer control plans and safely set up and use radiation and nuclear medicine services.
Cervical cancer kills more than 300,000 women every year and is the most common female cancer in half of all sub-Saharan countries in Africa. Radiation and nuclear medicine, particularly a form of internal radiation treatment called brachytherapy, are the most common tools for diagnosing and treating cervical cancer. In many low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa, access to this type of care is often limited or unavailable.
“Radiation medicine is widely recognized as essential to cancer care, but many African countries lack the resources to provide it,” said Azzeddine Farhane, Morocco’s Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna, during his introductory remarks. “The lack of health infrastructure and poor access to prevention, screening and treatment contributes to 90 per cent of the deaths.”
In her keynote presentation, May Abdel-Wahab, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Human Health outlined the role of nuclear technology in the management of cervical cancer and the need for investment in basic infrastructure and basic health. “Once diagnosed, cervical cancer can be treated very effectively with radiotherapy,” she said. “Investment in treatment, training and infrastructure will reduce suffering, death and poverty in the region.”