Iraqi Kurdistan records 5K+ cancer-related cases in 2025

Shafaq News– Al-Sulaymaniyah

Kurdish health authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Al-Sulaymaniyah recorded 5,127 cases of cancer and blood disorders in 2025, according to a senior medical official.

Speaking to Shafaq News, director of Hiwa Cancer Hospital Eyad Al-Naqshbandi reported that 3,147 of the cases involved confirmed cancer diagnoses, adding that breast cancer accounted for the largest share with 630 cases, while 190 patients were children.

Around 1,448 patients, he noted, were residents of Al-Sulaymaniyah, with the remaining cases referred from other parts of the Kurdistan Region and several Iraqi provinces.

Al-Naqshbandi said that assessments by local and international bodies indicate the hospital is progressing toward recognition as one of Iraq’s leading cancer treatment centers.

According to the Iraqi Ministry of Health’s Cancer Registry, Iraq recorded more than 43,000 new cancer cases in 2024, with lung, colorectal, and leukemia being the most prevalent among men, and breast, thyroid, and colorectal cancers among women. The Ministry also reported a steady rise in cancer incidence across the Kurdistan Region, where rates have more than doubled over the past decade.

Read more: Home or Hope? The Impossible Choice for Iraqi Cancer Patients