Over 1,000 Children Diagnosed with Cancer Annually in the Country

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Health officials have revealed that more than a 1000 children in the country are diagnosed with cancer each year. 

Dr. Buddhika Somawardhana, blood cancer and bone marrow transplant specialist at the Maharagama Apeksha Hospital, said that 30% of these diagnoses are for leukemia, while 25% are for cancers of the central nervous system. 

In total, around 40,000 cancer patients are reported annually in the country, with approximately 4,000 of them being diagnosed with blood cancers. 

Dr. Somawardhana also emphasized that one-third of all cancers are preventable.