Egyptian Liver Cancer Association President Ashraf Omar said that the number of deaths resultant from liver cancer in Egypt had risen from 4 percent in 1993 to 11 percent last year. "Liver cancer now has one of the highest death rates in the world," he said. At a press conference following the launch of a national campaign aimed at combating liver cancer, Omar partially attributed the rise in liver cancer-associated fatalities to the lack of early detection. Assistant Health Minister Abdel Hamid Abaza announced that the ministry was currently building a new facility for the treatment of tumors, to be equipped with the latest technology. "The ministry has allocated LE400 million for tumor treatment, whether by surgery or by chemotherapy," Abaza said at the press conference. "And in the public medical insurance system, liver cancer is covered by a further LE100 million." Dr. Hussein Khaled, professor of tumor medicine, called for the formation of a national council mandated with fighting the scourge of cancer. "Smoking, drinking, pollution and fast food are among the many causes of liver cancer in Egypt," Khaled explained. "Vegetables and green tea, meanwhile, can reduce the probability of getting the disease." Translated from the Arabic Edition.
