• Zimbabwe faces a growing cancer burden with 17,725 new cases and 11,739 deaths annually equating to 32 deaths daily
• Cervical cancer leads, followed by prostate, breast, colorectal, oesophageal, liver, and Kaposi sarcoma, with a high mortality-to-incidence ratio due to late diagnosis and limited treatment
• Everyday low-cost habits such as smoking, consuming cheap processed meats, alcohol, sugary snacks, charred meats, quietly drive cancers
• Prevention through affordable, accessible actions, healthier diets, tobacco/alcohol reduction, HPV vaccination and screening, sustained ART for HIV, and early symptom awareness can save lives

Harare- As Zimbabwe joins the global community in commemorating World Cancer Day, it is a vital moment for people from rural villages to urban centres to understand that cancer is not an inevitable fate. Many of the country's leading cancers are preventable or detectable early through simple, accessible changes in daily life, particularly in diet and tobacco use.

By embracing healthier eating habits rich in fruits and vegetables, reducing processed foods and aflatoxin exposure from poorly stored staples like maize and peanuts, cutting back on harmful alcohol, and quitting tobacco in all forms, Zimbabweans can significantly lower the risk of colorectal, oesophageal, liver, and lung cancers that are rising amid urbanisation and lifestyle shifts. 

“Cancer is a silent killer, it is diagnosed based on symptoms, making diet a fundamental way to avoid it as when cancer develops symptoms, it becomes deadlier,” Dr Dickson Chapendama, a doctor at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, said in an interview.

He added that lack of awareness and ignorance by people makes the situation worse. He said this is mostly complicated by unprofessional health providers like those who use herbs, white church prophets (Mapostori), and traditional religious healers who claim to have power to deliver.

“Diet, smoking, and screening are key,” he said.

"Anyone with a family history of cancer, a lump, even if seemingly unharmful, blood-stained stool, black spots around the body, or people living with HIV should be screened earlier to avoid untimely deaths and complications."

Many everyday habits and cheap foods that seem harmless or even comforting can quietly set the stage for cancer, turning small daily indulgences into devastating, life-altering costs. Tobacco smoking tops the list. A single pack of cigarettes in Zimbabwe often costs less than $2, yet long-term smoking dramatically raises the risk of lung, throat, oesophageal, and other cancers through direct exposure to carcinogens.

Similarly, certain foods and drinks linked to higher cancer risk are inexpensive and widely available, processed meats like sausages, bacon, or cheap deli cuts, excessive red meat such as beef or pork, alcohol, sugary ultra-processed snacks and sodas, charred or burnt grilled meats, and aflatoxin-contaminated staples like poorly stored maize meal or peanuts (common in rural markets for pennies per serving).

These items, consumed regularly, contribute to cancers like colorectal, liver, oesophageal, breast, and stomach through mechanisms such as nitrates/nitrites forming harmful compounds, chronic inflammation from obesity, DNA damage from alcohol metabolites, or potent liver carcinogens like aflatoxins.

What starts as an affordable habit or meal, costing far less than $10 at a time can lead to thousands of dollars in treatment expenses with cervical or other cancer care in Zimbabwe often exceeding $1,600–$3,000 per cycle, plus travel and lost income, immense suffering for families, and, tragically, the loss of life itself. Prevention through moderation, safer alternatives like fresh fruits and vegetables, proper food storage, and quitting tobacco offers the most powerful, low-cost shield against this hidden toll.

These practical steps bridge rural and urban divides. In rural areas, where aflatoxin contamination and hot beverage traditions fuel oesophageal and liver cancers, proper grain storage and cooler porridge consumption can save lives; in cities, where smoking and sedentary living prevail, tobacco control and physical activity offer powerful protection.

Cancer remains a major killer in Zimbabwe, with an estimated 17,725 new cases (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers) and 11,739 deaths in 2022 according to GLOBOCAN 2022 data published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. This translates to roughly 32 deaths every day. The country's age-standardized incidence rate stands at 208 per 100,000 population, one of the higher figures in southern Africa, while the mortality rate is 144 per 100,000, reflecting persistent challenges in early detection and treatment access.

The Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry shows registered cases doubled from 3,519 in 2009 to 7,841 in 2018, and the National Cancer Control Plan 2025–2030 reports over 7,000 new cases and more than 3,000 deaths annually since 2014, with projections of continued growth due to population ageing, HIV prevalence, and evolving lifestyles. Earlier GLOBOCAN 2020 estimates cited 16,083 cases and 10,676 deaths, highlighting the escalating burden.

 Cervical cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer, especially among women, with around 3,043 cases in 2022 (age-standardized rate of 62.3 per 100,000 women) and estimates rising to about 3,520 in 2023. Prostate cancer leads in men with 1,574 cases (ASR 48.7 per 100,000), followed by breast cancer in women (1,646 cases, ASR 33.5 per 100,000), colorectal cancer (1,042 cases), Kaposi sarcoma (HIV-linked, 1,011 cases), oesophageal cancer (929 cases), and liver cancer (827 cases). Among women, the pattern is cervical, breast, colorectal, and Kaposi sarcoma; among men, prostate, colorectal, liver, and oesophageal.

Cervical cancer claimed the highest number of lives (2,151 deaths in 2022), followed by oesophageal (837), prostate (826), liver (792), and colorectal (691). Zimbabwe's mortality-to-incidence ratio of approximately 0.66 reflects late-stage presentations and limited treatment resources. Pancreatic and stomach cancers, though lower in incidence (300–400 cases each), contribute disproportionately to mortality due to their aggressive nature. 

Childhood cancer represents 3–4 % of all malignancies, with 400–500 new cases annually in children aged 0–14. The National Cancer Registry recorded 293 cases in 2018 and 263 in 2019, and a 2015–2021 KidzCan review indicated an incidence rate of 161.76 per million, above the global average.

The most common types are nephroblastoma (Wilms tumour, 22 %), acute leukaemia (21 %), retinoblastoma (15 %), lymphomas (13 %), and other renal tumours (13 %). Survival rates lag far behind high-income countries (1-year overall survival around 50–60 %) due to late diagnosis, treatment abandonment, malnutrition, and constrained paediatric services, though progress is emerging through KidzCan initiatives and the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer, targeting 60 % survival by 2030. Slight incidence rises have occurred historically, tempered by improved data and reduced HIV-related cases. 

Zimbabwe can safeguard its people from remote rural communities to urban dwellers through targeted, inclusive prevention rooted in the National Cancer Control Plan 2025–2030 and WHO guidelines. Dietary shifts toward fresh produce, reduced processed foods, and aflatoxin-safe storage would curb colorectal, oesophageal, and liver risks across geographies.

Tobacco control via increased taxes just like on fast-foods tax and sugar tax, smoke-free spaces, advertising bans, and cessation support targets lung and oesophageal cancers disproportionately affecting men and urban populations. For cervical cancer, the leading killer, achieving WHO's 90-70-90 elimination targets by 2030 (90 % HPV vaccination for girls by age 15, 70 % screening with HPV DNA testing, 90 % treatment) remains transformative, building on Zimbabwe's school-based vaccination since 2018.

Sustained ART for HIV management continues reducing Kaposi sarcoma and lymphomas, while hepatitis B vaccination, safe practices, and clean needles protect against liver cancer. Breast and prostate awareness encourages early symptom reporting and lifestyle risk reduction (healthy weight, activity, limited alcohol). General measures like public education, primary healthcare integration, nutrition security, and environmental safeguards ensure equitable reach. 

As Zimbabwe marks World Cancer Day 2026 under the theme "United by Unique", celebrating individual stories while uniting for change, these evidence-based actions offer a realistic path to cut the cancer toll. By prioritizing prevention through diet, tobacco reduction, vaccination, screening, and early detection, the nation can protect thousands of lives annually and build resilience from rural homesteads to city streets.

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