390 new cancer cases diagnosed daily in Iran: Tasnim — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): Iran’s Deputy Health Minister says an average of around 390 new cancer cases are diagnosed in the country every day, including about 190 cases among women. According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Alireza Raisi, deputy health minister, made the remarks at a periodic meeting of women and family affairs advisers from government institutions. Raisi said that, on average, one new cancer case is detected every three to four minutes in Iran, while 16 families learn each hour that one of their members has been diagnosed with the disease. Tasnim quoted him as saying that around 40 percent of cancer cases could be prevented by controlling risk factors. He said that based on an estimated 140,000 new cases annually, nearly 60,000 cancer cases could potentially be prevented each year. Rejecting claims of a “cancer tsunami” in Iran, Raisi said the increase in cancer cases was not solely a health sector issue and required cooperation from other sectors to reduce risk factors. He identified air pollution as one of the factors increasing cancer risks, saying the production of fuel-inefficient and low-quality vehicles not only contributes to road deaths but also worsens air pollution and raises the risk of cancer.