Algeria

THE NORTH AFRICAN country of Algeria was ruled by the Moors until the Ottoman Empire absorbed the country in 1516. In 1830, the French invaded Algeria and made the northern section of the country part of France; the remainder of Algeria, largely desert, became a colony. The two parts were reunited again when Algeria gained independence on July 5, 1962.

Until the arrival of European doctors with the French invasion, the main system of dealing with tumors was surgical excision. Many Arab surgeons used the works of Avicenna (980–1037 a.d.) who detailed surgical procedures many centuries earlier. On October 25, 1980, the Algerian postal services issued a postage stamp to commemorate the work of Avicenna on the 1,000th anniversary of his birth. An example of cancer incidence rates in Algeria includes 88.1 cases of cancer in males per 100,000, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

During the period of French colonial rule, doctors from France treated patients with European techniques. Surgical procedures changed, with treatment becoming more effective as diagnostic techniques improved. Care for cancer patients was generally good for both Europeans and members of the wealthy elite.

After Algeria gained independence, cancer facilities were improved throughout the country. These facilities were focused on treating the major forms of cancer prevalent in Algeria—lung cancer and stomach cancer for men; cervical cancer and breast cancer for women; and liver cancer for both genders. There has been a recent increase in radiotherapy machines throughout the country, although the level of treatment still lags that in Western Europe.

To gain accurate information, a population-based cancer registry—in collaboration with the International Agency for Research on Cancer—was established at Setif in 1989. Setif has eight hospitals, and along with the health center at the University of Setif, provides 2,025 hospital beds. There are also 25 maternity hospitals, 15 polyclinics, 49 health centers, and 143 other care units providing information. This registry uses the internationally acclaimed CANREG and NEWCRG software to help gather data showing that cancers in that part of northern Algeria are lower than in most of the rest of the country. As with other parts of Algeria, the most prevalent forms of cancer for men are lung [Page 21]cancer, stomach cancer, and liver cancer; and for women, cervical cancer, liver cancer, and breast cancer.

A recent study has shown that in contrast to the H1-H2 variant found in North African nasopharyngeal carcinoma biopsies, the H genotype was dominant in Hodgkin's disease biopsies, indicating marked differences and two distinct diseases being present in Algeria. As well as studies of cancers prevalent among people in Algeria, there have been many research projects focusing on Algerian communities in France and Israel.

There has been much publicity for cancer to raise awareness and to encourage people to seek early diagnosis to ensure better treatment. As well as greater public education, regular press coverage has helped. On May 31, 1997, the postal authorities issued a postage stamp to celebrate the “World Day to Stop Smoking.”

Among the many people either from or connected with Algeria who have had cancer are Muslim feminist and author Samira Bellil(1972–2004), born in France of Algerian parents, who died from stomach cancer; and French painter Albert Marquet (1875–1947). In November 2005, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who assumed office in 1999, was himself hospitalized in Paris, France, with suspected stomach cancer, even though there was an initial report that it was a gastric ulcer hemorrhage. He sought more treatment in April 2006.

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