Workshop on Female Cancers by Les Amis du Ruban Rose and VitaVox

In Morocco, cancer affects more than 30,000 women each year and nearly 15,000 lose their lives to the disease. These alarming figures were presented by the association Les Amis du Ruban Rose during a press workshop on female cancers organized in collaboration with VitaVox Institute. The association also estimates that cancer cases among women could double between 2020 and 2040, hence the need to implement immediate and urgent measures to address it.

This meeting, organized on the occasion of World Triple Negative Breast Cancer Day (March 3), aimed to alert public opinion to female cancers, which constitute a real public health issue in Morocco.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Morocco, representing 38.1% of observed cases. It is followed by thyroid cancer, which represents 11.3% of cancer cases among women in Morocco, while cervical cancer accounts for 8.1%. “Awareness, prevention and early detection can make all the difference in the treatment and cure of this disease,” said Latifa Chérif, president of the association Les Amis du Ruban Rose.

The workshop was also an opportunity to highlight the various treatments and awareness-raising measures capable of reducing the impact of these diseases on women and on Morocco’s health system. “Morocco has made significant progress in the care of people with cancer. As part of the implementation of the National Cancer Prevention and Control Plan, a structured program for the early detection of breast and cervical cancers has been set up by the ministry. This program has made it possible to strengthen care in screening, diagnosis and management of these two cancers, within an inclusive, integrated and patient-centered approach,” said Ms. Chérif. She added that “the Royal Project to generalize social protection has opened the way to better access to care and treatment for cancer patients, including innovative treatments such as immunotherapy.”

For his part, Pr. Naoufal Mamou, an oncologist and radiation therapist, recalled the important role of prevention, which remains the best way to guard against cancer, particularly through screening in order to diagnose certain cancers early, before symptoms appear, and to treat them more effectively. “Today there are different ways to be screened early enough to beat cancer before it reaches the metastatic stage. It is very important to raise awareness among populations about the screening methods available. This will save many lives. Cancer prevention also involves vaccination. Cervical cancer can be prevented thanks to the HPV vaccine. Morocco has also introduced vaccination into its National Immunization Program since October 2022,” said Pr. Mamou.