ABSTRACT
The decadal shift from communicable to noncommunicable diseases and a resultant increase in cancer burden in low- and middle-income countries has been compellingly illustrated by the global burden of disease data. Low awareness about the disease coupled with poor accessibility and affordability appears to be the three most important factors responsible for this bleak situation. Health promotion, with its tenets of creating a supportive environment for improving health and reducing health inequalities, was considered the best approach in this setting to bring about a desirable change in cancer prevention and control. This initiative was commenced with the objective of implementing primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention with respect to common cancers in the region.
