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THE nation has once again been robbed of a gallant son of the soil, Cde Naison Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu, who succumbed to prostate cancer at the age of 86. We commiserate with the nation in general, and the Ndlovu family in particular on this great loss. While Cde Ndlovu is of immediate name and facial recognition, there are many other people succumbing to the scourge of cancer away from the glare of the media.

Regrettably too many of them may not know they have cancer until it’s too late, which is why early detection can be the difference between life and death.

Doctors say early detection is vital since tumours can be picked when they are still very small ensuring treatment success.

While a lot of attention has been paid to breast cancer which has a whole month dedicated to it amid estimates that one in eight women will have breast cancer in their lifetime, we feel other forms of cancer deserve attention as well.

While so much attention and resources have been channelled towards the fight against HIV and Aids, a development that saw us emerge as one of the success stories in Africa with an HIV prevalence rate of 13,9 percent, not much — it seems — has been done about the silent killer, cancer.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health and Child Care indicate that 7 000 new cancer cases are reported annually and 60 percent of them, according to the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry, are HIV related.

Of these, only some 1 300 to 2 000 are treated with radiotherapy.

Worldwide, cancer is responsible for 7,6 million deaths, two thirds of which are recorded in low-middle income countries.

A revealing study published in the International Journal of Cancer that indicated that cancer patients in Harare are not likely to survive five years after diagnosis at present levels of care, is a greater call for action.

To this end, we feel it’s high time Government and other stakeholders seriously consider giving cancer as much attention as HIV and Aids are getting.

The authorities should consider a cancer levy that can help in setting up requisite cancer support services or to subsidise the cost of treatment.

The case for a cancer levy is made even stronger by revelations by the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry that 60 percent of the cancer cases recorded in Zimbabwe are HIV-related.

This is especially so given that the requisite medicines, technologies and services are not widely available and accessible due to their high cost, resulting in a lot of premature deaths each year.

Be that as it may we also urge lifestyle intervention since about 40 percent of some cancers can be prevented by adopting healthy lifestyles and diets (increased intake of fruits and vegetables), avoiding tobacco use (smoking, chewing, and snuff), and reducing or avoiding alcohol assumption.

Screening which includes Pap Smears; Prostate Specific Antigens and Clinical Breast Examinations as well as counselling services must be made available at health centre, and should be even offered for free as is done with chronic illnesses like tuberculosis.

Food for thought.