Sana'a: The campaign of the Cancer Control Fund in Yemen for this year seeks to promote awareness of colon cancer through the slogan "Your Awareness Protects You", and it continues for a whole month. The campaign aims to call the community to early detection, as it raises the chance of recovery and limits complications. Approximately 30,000 cancer cases are registered in Yemen annually, in light of the deterioration of health conditions. Dr. Abdulsalam al-Madani pointed out the importance of cooperation among institutions and the community for the success of the campaign.
According to Yemen News Agency, colon cancer is considered one of the most widespread types of cancer in the world, and its incidence rates in Yemen have witnessed a noticeable escalation during recent years, in light of the repercussions of the aggression and the absence of health awareness and early detection. Awareness today has become an urgent necessity and not just an option; it is the first line of defense in facing this disease and saving lives, as early detection contributes to raising the chances of treatment and recovery significantly, and grants patients greater hope for recovery and life.
Proceeding from its community responsibility and its continuous efforts in spreading health awareness, the Cancer Control Fund launched this year, 2026 AD, the Tenth National Campaign for Colon Cancer Awareness under the slogan "Your Awareness Protects You", which continues for a month with the aim of promoting community awareness about prevention factors and the importance of early detection, and its role in raising treatment chances. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fund, Dr. Abdulsalam al-Madani, explained to the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) that the campaign comes within the framework of the national strategy for cancer control, and aims to raise the level of community awareness about colon cancer and ways to prevent it, pointing out the importance of combining community efforts for the success of the campaign that launched in the middle of this current May.
He called upon entities, institutions, media outlets, and community members to actively contribute to the success of the campaign through publishing awareness messages and promoting health awareness, emphasizing that combating cancer is everyone's responsibility. The rapid shifts in the patterns of colorectal cancer incidence, particularly among young age groups, push medical and scientific circles into deep research into the roots of this phenomenon. With the rise in diagnosis rates among those under fifty years old, questions multiply regarding the hidden causes behind this remarkable change, and the environmental or biological factors that might contribute to the occurrence of the disease early.
Undercooked meats, especially minced meat, are considered the main source of E. coli bacteria, yet leafy vegetables such as spinach and romaine lettuce, in addition to raw milk and unpasteurized dairy products, and raw fruits such as apples and cucumbers, all constitute common sources of infection, especially when contaminated with unfit water or as a result of poor hygiene during preparation. The Director of Health Awareness and Education at the Fund, Hussein al-Junaid, explained that there are four main pillars distributed across the weeks of the campaign, including introducing the most prominent symptoms of colon cancer infection, identifying risk factors, and introducing prevention methods and tools for early detection and periodic screening.
He pointed out that awareness messages will be published via channels, radio stations, and social media platforms with the aim of reaching the largest possible segment of community members across their various groups, contributing to promoting health awareness and consolidating the culture of prevention and early detection. Colorectal cancer is a malignant growth that begins from the lining of the colon or rectum, and the colon is a tube 150-180 cm in length that connects the small intestine to the rectum, and its function is processing waste and storing it.
The disease often develops from "benign polyps" or polyps and they transform into cancer within years if they are not excised. The most important symptoms manifest as a change in bowel function, diarrhea, constipation, or alternation between them, bleeding from the rectum or blood in the stool, persistent abdominal pain, anemia without an obvious cause, weight loss, and loss of appetite. Risk factors manifest as age over 50, family history, obesity, lack of movement, smoking, excessive consumption of red and processed meats, and chronic bowel diseases.
According to the statistics of the Ministry of Health, about 30,000 new cancer infection cases are monitored annually in the country due to the repercussions of the American-Saudi-Emirati aggression and the blockade, the deterioration of health conditions, the absence of a healthy environment, and the lack of awareness. Colon cancer is a silent disease in its beginning but it is a killer if diagnosis is delayed. In light of the registration of 30,000 cases annually, awareness has become a weapon no less important than chemotherapy.
The Cancer Control Fund campaign works on moving the community from the stage of "ignorance of the disease" to the stage of "early detection and rescue". Its success requires the concerted efforts of the media, mosques, schools, and every individual to spread a single message: "Colon cancer is detected early.. and treated." Investing in awareness today saves lives and exorbitant treatment costs tomorrow, where early detection is considered the difference between a short treatment journey and years of suffering.