The recent estimates of the World Health Organization indicate that the fourth cause leading to death among the adults in the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa Countries is Cancer as it comes after heart diseases, infectious diseases and injuries. Cancer’s risk is expected to increase over years to be the first health problems. In 2016, the recent statistics from the Iraqi Ministry of Health showed that Cancer is the second cause of death after Cerebral Thrombosis among Iraqi Society.
Breast Cancer is one of the most common Cancers among females in the world generally and in Iraq particularly. It represents about one-third ratio of Cancers that Iraqi women have had, according to what is recorded in the recent Iraqi Cancer record issued by the Iraqi Ministry of Health, which showed that Breast Cancer ranked first for Cancers that the Iraqi individual is infected. In recent years, it has also been observed an increase in the incidence of this disease, as local research and studies have shown that most cases affected Iraqi women are usually detected in lately to control easily by treatment, and more of this disease victims are females in early age, and this is a rare case in Western societies and countries.
In 2008, the General Secretariat of the Ministers Council formed a higher committee for Breast Cancer awareness, its mission is carrying out a comprehensive national campaign to raise awareness of the importance of early detection of Breast Cancer, including all groups of the Iraqi people. Its membership included representatives from the General Secretariat of Ministers Council and the relevant ministries, which included health, higher education and scientific research, as well as the Ministry of State for Women’s Affairs, Education and civil society organizations.
In response to the General Secretariat of Ministers Council, the Department of Research and Development in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and, in coordination with the representative of the Ministries of Higher Education and Health in the Supreme Committee, Professor Dr. Nada Abdul sahib Al-Alwan – executive director for a Pioneering National Cancer Research program by raising a suggestion to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to establish a Pioneering National Cancer Research program aimed at spreading health awareness of Cancer generally, Breast and Cervical Cancer in Iraqi women particularly. The main duties of this program included relevant studies and research, as well as training health staff on modern technologies used globally in the early detection and investigation of Cancers, according to the methodology used by the World Health Organization. In 2008, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research approved the establishment of the Pioneering National Program for Cancer Research and the development of a research unit for early detection of Breast and Cervical Cancer as the nucleus of a model national center for cancer research in Iraq, and spotted amounts for the implementation of this program within the balance of investment plan projects in cooperation with the Ministry of Planning, for that the Pioneering National Program for Cancer Research was established in 2009, whose work plan includes with relevant ministries, The Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Affairs, Environment, Science and Technology and under the authority of the General Secretariat of Ministers Council.
On impact the participation of the Executive Director of the Program (Professor Dr. Nada Abdel Sahib Alwan), as a regional expert of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the World Health Organization on cancer control in the “Global Meeting on Planning Cancer Control Programs in the Middle East Countries” (Vienna. Austria), June 2009 the Early Detection of Cancer visited in the Cancer Research International Agency in Leon/France, established private database for the Comprehensive International Program for early detection for Breast Cancer in Iraq. The information storage system included all data classification of Iraqi women patients with Breast Cancer, starting with demographic data, risk factors and pathological history, through various radiological and laboratory diagnostic methods, including the stages of tumor detection and available treatment, and ending with statistics on recovery and survival rates for women and periodic follow-up.
Under the patronage the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and outstanding support from the Research and Development Department of the Ministry and the Presidency of the University of Baghdad, the (Research Unit for Early Detection of Breast and Cervical Cancers) was opened at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Baghdad on May 10, 2010 (Old Library location) to represent the nucleus of a model national cancer research center in Iraq and a pillar for the activities of the pioneering national cancer research program, where the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research assigned the research unit the task of executive management of the pioneering national cancer research program work plan and the strategic objectives on which it was established, and the preparation and implementation of the various activities of the program as well as supervising the process of collecting, sorting and analyzing information and data related to cancer research received from various ministries of the state and all its affiliated research institutions, the universities and the Ministry of higher education and scientific research colleges in governorates. The work plan of the national cancer research program and its breast and cervical cancer research unit focused on three main axes, including the awareness, training and research axis.
On 22-7-2012, the Cancer Research Unit was developed to a Pioneering National Cancer Research Center under the decision of the Opinion Commission and the Scientific Research Authority in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to represent a pillar for the activities of the comprehensive national campaign for early detection and cancer control in Iraq. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research assigned the task of executive management for the pioneering national cancer research center work plan and the strategic objectives on which it was established including preparation and implementation for the national planning activates to control on cancer which include cancer registration, prevention, early detection and treatment in cooperation with the Iraqi Ministry of Health, as well as supervising the process of collecting, sorting and analyzing information and data related to cancer research and organizing conferences, related seminars in coordination with relevant service and research institution nationally and globally.