The Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Wednesday said cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the Caribbean, surpassed only by cardiovascular disease.
In a statement marking World Cancer Day being observed under the theme ‘United by Unique,’ CARPHA said that cancer remains a major cause of mortality worldwide and in 2022, the Caribbean region recorded an estimated 119,000 new cancer cases and more than 66,000 cancer-related deaths.
It said driven by population ageing and increasing exposure to key risk factors, the cancer burden in Latin America and the Caribbean is projected to rise by 69 per cent by 2045, underscoring the urgency of sustained and coordinated action.
CARPHA said that several Caribbean countries rank among those with the highest cancer burdens globally for specific cancer sites. It said notably, nine of the 15 countries worldwide with the highest estimated age-standardised incidence rates (ASRs) for prostate cancer are in the Caribbean, including Guadeloupe, Martinique, Barbados, Puerto Rico, French Guiana, The Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica, with Guadeloupe recording the highest rate globally.