BAHRAIN has been ranked among the top 50 countries in the world for breast cancer detection.
The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) put Bahrain 50th worldwide for diagnosing the disease.
However, its findings have been disputed by Bahrain Cancer Society president Dr Abdulrahman Ebrahim Fakhro.
The report found more than 200 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in Bahrain every year.
It stated that one in every 2,000 women in Bahrain are diagnosed with the illness annually – the equivalent of 214 a year, based on the latest population figures from 2008.
However, Dr Fakhro described the figure as exaggerated – stating there had only been around 130 cases detected since screening began in August 2005.
The report claimed that in Bahrain, 50 cases per 100,000 women were being diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
That compares to 109 cases per 100,000 women in Belgium, which was ranked first in the world for breast cancer detection.
The WCRF produced global league tables for the highest rates of cancer detection among men, women and the total population combined.
Bahrain did not figure in the overall cancer detection charts for men or women, since only the top 50 were ranked.
Denmark had the highest rate of all cancer detection for men and women, with 326 people in 100,000 being diagnosed with the disease every year.
It also has the highest rate of cancer detection for women, with 325 out of
100,000 per year, while France has the highest rates for men, with 360 in 100,000.
However, authors of the report said high rates of smoking among Danish women, as well as high levels of alcohol consumption, could also be responsible for the high cancer rates in that country.
They added that high-income countries tended to record more cancer cases than those with lower incomes because they were better at diagnosing and recording new instances of the disease.
By TOM HANRATTY
Gulf Daily