Oman's health ministry launches Cancer Incidence Report

Muscat: The Ministry of Health (MoH), represented by the Directorate General of Primary Healthcare (DGPH), Non-Communicable Diseases Department in cooperation with the National Oncology Centre, on Sunday launched the Cancer Incidence Report in Oman at the MoH’s headquarters.
The launch ceremony was held under the patronage of Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Saidi, Minister of Health, in the presence of a number of MoH senior officials.
Dr. Al Saidi stressed that the cancer status in the Sultanate is not a matter of concern or danger as compared to the countries of the world or in the region.
He pointed out that the Sultanate is the first country among the GCC to publish the 2015 Cancer Incidence Report. He also added that the most common cancers in the Sultanate are breast cancer among women.
The Minister of Health called upon all the public and private health sectors in the Sultanate and health workers to cooperate with the cancer registry team by providing them with accurate data.
Dr. Said bin Harib Al Lamki, DGPH Directors General, confirmed that the Sultanate has taken the UN initiative about developing a national multi- sectorial strategy, as well as the National Policy of Non-communicable Diseases Control.
He added that the report covered the main diseases such as the cancer, diabetes, respiratory diseases and cardiovascular diseases.
Number of cases
The detected cases that have been recorded reached 1,840 cases, out of which 1,615 were Omani (749 male and 866 female) and 185 expatriates. The cancer cases recorded among children below 14 years reached 111 cases.
The statistics showed that the cancer incidence rate is 103.8 per 100,000 inhabitants. In addition, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, while prostate is among men.
The Oman National Cancer Registry (ONCR) is the mainstay of cancer treatment and control. It is considered a reliable resource for decision-makers in developing prevention programmes. In that light, the ONCR was established in 1985 as a registry to be operated in the hospitals.
The ONCR aims at compiling a database about cancer cases in the Sultanate, monitoring the cancer trends, as well as providing researchers and doctors with population information on the types and number of cancer cases and their population distribution in the Sultanate.
Since 1996, the MOH has issued the Oman National Cancer Registry, where these reports are still issued periodically.