The spread of cancer in Jordan falls within normal limits, with only one case registered annually for each 1,000 citizens, according to the vice president of the Jordan Tumor Association.
“Compared to an annual four cases for each 1,000 American citizens, cancer cases in Jordan are even slightly below average,” said Sami Khatib, who is also a consultant and clinical oncologist.
The Jordan Times quoted Khatib as saying on Thursday that breast cancer is the most common among Jordanian women, while lung cancer is predominant among men.
The 1998 national cancer registry recorded about 4,000 new cases, including 478 breast cancer cases and 196 lung cancer cases.
“Smoking remains the main cause for 33 percent of cancer types that are found in the kingdom,” he added.
Cancer cases are proportional to the size of the population, with around 50 per cent of them found in Amman, he continued.
The 1998 study, released last year, indicated that Amman was home to 58 percent of all cancer cases in the kingdom.
Khatib noted that smoking, industrial waste, overexposure to harmful rays of the sun and the overuse of pesticides and hormones to grow fruits and vegetables were primary factors increasing the rate of cancer.
“Earth pollution is mainly caused by the increased use of pesticides such as DDT, which although banned is still used on crops,” noted Khatib.
Khatib observed that prevalent views on cancer by the public, such as cancer being a rampant disease, are inaccurate due to a lack of public awareness.
“The number of cancer cases in the kingdom is normal, but people should know that the sooner a tumor is discovered, the better the chances for successful treatment,” said Khatib – Albawaba.com
