Introduction

Cancer is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. More than 60% of the world’s total new annual cancer cases occur in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. It is increasingly recognised as a critical public health problem in Africa. In Ethiopia, cancer accounts for about 5.8% of total national mortality. However, lesser emphasis is given to cancer.

Aim of the research

To systematically measure the burden of cancer in Ethiopia.

Material and methods

The research used data from the Global Burden of Disease study (GBD 2016) and Global Health Estimate 2016, which originally collected the information through vital registration, verbal autopsy, surveys, reports, published scientific articles, and modelling.

Results

In 2016, cancer caused an estimated 50,913.5 (95% CI: 36,092.1–73,018.8) deaths among all ages and both genders with a crude death rate (CDR) of 49.7/100,000 and age-standardised death rate (ASDR) of 93.5/100,000 population. It contributed to 18.5% of non-communicable disease (NCD)-related death and 7.3% of total death, 16.9% of NCD-related ASDR and 9% of total ASDR, and 12.7% of national NCD-related disability adjusted life years lost (DALYs) and 4.3% of the national total DALYs. The number of death and DALYs from cancer increased by 47.4% and 45.1% respectively; whereas, CDR and ASDR from cancer declined by 4.2% and 9.7%, respectively. The burden of cancer increased remarkably throughout the period between 2000 and 2016.

Conclusions

The existing disease prevention strategies should incorporate non-communicable disease prevention strategies with particular emphasis for cancer screening, prevention, and care.