The Health Ministry will launch several awareness programs on February 4, World Cancer Control Day. in keeping with its policy of preventing non communicable diseases, an initiative taken by President Maithripala Sirisena in 2013.

The programs will include lectures, discussions and Training of Trainers (TOT) along with programs for Medical Officers of Health, primary heath care medical officers and general practitioners, with the participation of resource persons including consultant surgeons and oncologists, at provincial and district level. said Consultant Community Physician, National Cancer Control Program (NCCP) Dr. Suraj Perera

He further said that an in-service training program for primary health care staff with special focus on prevention, early detection, rehabilitation and palliative care for cancer patients in primary care settings will also be held.

Also awareness programs for volunteers, school teachers, staff of government and private organisations as well as for estate workers programs will be conducted on cancer prevention/

Based on the National Registry of Cancer Control (2008), breast cancer is listed as the common female cancer in Sri Lanka followed by uterine, cervical, thyroid gland, oesophagus and ovarian cancer.

In males, the commonest cancers listed are lip, oral, pharynx, trachea, lungs and colon cancer.