Gambia’s leading cancer surgeon Dr Aboubacarr Jah has said cancer kills more people in developing countries compared to developed countries.

“Worldwide approximately there are 14 million new cases of cancer every year and a number of those people die because of cancer especially in the third world. 

“In the developing world, people are beginning to get their cancer detected very early and curing them. 

“So many people get their cancers cured but in the Third World many people still come late and by the time they arrive it is usually too late to do anything,” Dr Jah said.

“Most of the cancers are painless at the beginning and therefore people tend to ignore small changes in their body until it becomes late and start being painful when they report it and at that time it will become incurable,” he added.

According to him, “if a cancer cell develops in the foot it will start to destroy the foot. You will start having ulcer and swelling in the foot then it will start expanding and destroying all the cells around it.

“The cells will start growing and it will transfer itself and proceed to the brain then start growing on the brain so you will have foot cells on the brain and it will destroy the whole brain.”

Reporting by Adama Makasuba