Skip to main content

Cancer in War-Torn Countries: Iraq as an Example

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Handbook of Healthcare in the Arab World

Abstract

Iraq is a multiethnic, developing country in the Middle East. Iraq is home to one of the oldest civilizations known to mankind and has an estimated population of over 39 million people living in 18 governorates. This historically prosperous land, with a rich ancient heritage, has seen all its health systems, including its cancer care services system, decimated by wars, sanctions, and embargo that has continued since August 1990. Cancer trends and care in Iraq have transformed as a result. With reduced services, cancers are discovered in more advanced stages, reducing curability, and patient suffering has increased. This chapter discusses the current status of cancer in Iraq, its trends, and the available care services. The challenging life circumstances that Iraqis continue to face has increased suffering in the Iraqi people.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Al Hilfi TK, Lafta R, Burnham G (2013) Health services in Iraq. Lancet 381(9870):939–948. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60320-7

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Ghazi M (2016) Cancer care in a war zone: radiation oncology in Iraq. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 96(2, Suppl):E413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2016.06.1668

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Khalili, Abdul-Hadi (2004) Cancer in Iraq “an introductory to cancer status and the role of the cancer board in cancer control”. Iraqi Cancer Board

    Google Scholar 

  • Al-Mosawi A (2012) The pattern of cancer in Iraq, 1st edn. LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, Saarbrücken

    Google Scholar 

  • Alwan NA (2010) Breast cancer: demographic characteristics and clinico-pathological presentation of patients in Iraq. East Mediterr Health J 16(11):1159–1164

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bray F, Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I et al (2018) Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin 68(6):394–424. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21492

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Busby C, Hamdan M, Ariabi E (2010) Cancer, infant mortality and birth sex-ratio in Fallujah, Iraq 2005–2009. Int J Environ Res Public Health 7(7):2828–2837. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph7072828

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Deli A, Ibrahim L (2005) Oncology in IRAQ. ASCO News (October), p 38

    Google Scholar 

  • Expert Working Group on Radiation Oncology Services (2003) The development of radiation oncology services in Ireland. Ministry for Health and Children, Dublin

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferlay J, Ervik M, Lam F et al (2018) Global cancer observatory: cancer today. http://gco.iarc.fr/today/fact-sheets-populations. Accessed 26 Nov 2018

  • Hagopian A, Lafta R, Hassan J, Davis S, Mirick D, Takaro T (2010) Trends in childhood leukemia in Basrah, Iraq, 1993–2007. Am J Public Health 100(6):1081–1087

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iraqi Cancer Registry Center (ed) (2012) 2010 Results of Iraqi cancer registry. Iraqi Cancer Board – Ministry of Health, Baghdad

    Google Scholar 

  • Iraqi Cancer Registry Center (ed) (2018) Annual report – Iraqi cancer registry – 2016. Iraqi Cancer Board – Ministry of Health, Baghdad

    Google Scholar 

  • Majid RA, Mohammed HA, Saeed HM et al (2009) Breast cancer in Kurdish women of northern Iraq: incidence, clinical stage, and case control analysis of parity and family risk. BMC Womens Health 9:33. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6874-9-33

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Health/Environment (ed) (2018) 2017 Annual statistical report. Ministry of Health/Environment, Baghdad

    Google Scholar 

  • Mula-Hussain L (2012) Cancer care in Iraq: a descriptive study, 1st edn. LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, Saarbrucken

    Google Scholar 

  • Mula-Hussain L (2015) Cancer in a war-torn Arab community – Iraq: description of its trends. ACCESS Health J (Proceedings of the 7th international conference on health issues in Arab communities) (3):26–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Mula-Hussain L (2019) War and its consequences for cancer trends and services in Iraq. In: Lutz C, Mazzarino A (eds) War and health. New York University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Mula-Hussain L, Duimering A, Al-Khyatt M et al (2018) Lessons to improve quality in oncology practice: road map to fill the global gaps. Glob J Qual Saf Healthc 1(2):28–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sikora K (1999) Cancer services are suffering in Iraq. BMJ 318(7177):203

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart BW, Wild CP (eds) (2014) World cancer report 2014. International Agency for Research on Cancer & World Health Organization, Lyon

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiltshire JJ, Drake TM, Uttley L et al (2016) Systematic review of trends in the incidence rates of thyroid cancer. Thyroid 26(11):1541–1552. https://doi.org/10.1089/thy.2016.0100

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Layth Mula-Hussain .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Mula-Hussain, L., Alabedi, H., Al-Alloosh, F., Alharganee, A. (2019). Cancer in War-Torn Countries: Iraq as an Example. In: Laher, I. (eds) Handbook of Healthcare in the Arab World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74365-3_152-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74365-3_152-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-74365-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-74365-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

Publish with us

Policies and ethics