Khaberni - The Palestinian Ministry of Health stated on Wednesday that there has been an increase in the number of cancer cases among Palestinians in the West Bank.
The ministry added in a statement on the occasion of World Cancer Day that “3,926 new cases were registered at an incidence rate of 130 per 100,000 population in 2024, while 3,590 cases were recorded in 2023”.
The ministry did not clarify in its statement the reason for the increase in cancer cases among Palestinians in the West Bank.
The ministry explained in its statement, “Despite the existence of more than 200 types of cancer, 5 types of cancer constitute 49 percent of the new cases registered in the West Bank, which are breast, colon and rectum, lung and bronchus, thyroid, and leukemia”.
The statement continued, “Breast cancer is consistently the most common type of cancer in Palestine, with 584 new breast cancer cases recorded in the West Bank and an incidence rate of 19.5 cases per 100,000 population”.
The Ministry of Health disclosed that “cancer is the second leading cause of death after ischemic heart disease (lack of blood flow and oxygen to the heart muscle) in the West Bank in 2024, with a total of 9,007 deaths, of which 1,639 were caused by cancer”.
The Ministry of Health works to treat some cancer cases in government hospitals and clinics, whereas other cases are referred to private sector hospitals whether in the West Bank, Israel, or Jordan.
The ministry mentioned in its statement that the cost of referring cancer cases for treatment in the private sector in 2025 exceeded 400 million shekels (approximately 130 million dollars).
