According to the latest statistics, the incidence of cancer has increased in Erbil and Duhok but decreased in Sulaimani.

Dr. Yad Naqshbandi, director of Hiwa Hospital in Sulaimani, said: in our hospital, 5,940 new codes have been registered, of which 2,888 were new cancer cases and the rest were cases of other diseases.

Meanwhile, according to statistics from Hiwa Hospital, 3,356 new cases were registered in 2023, but 2,888 cases were registered in 2024.

For his part, Hardi Jawad, director of Nanakali Cancer Hospital in Erbil, said: From the beginning of 2024 to October, more than 1,800 files have been opened for new patients, some of whom are non-cancer.

The number of cancer patients in our hospital increases every year and some cancers or diseases are rare and medicines are difficult to obtain.

Meanwhile, Hassan Abdullah Aswad, director of the Zhin Cancer Center in Duhok, said that in 2024 compared to 2023, the number of children with cancer has increased from about 50 patients to 64 patients.

Many had inherited the disease from their relatives, with leukemia, lymph node cancer, and brain cancer being the most common cancers.