January 2026 data: 475+ blood disorder cases confirmed in Kurdistan Region
Shafaq News- Erbil
The Kurdistan region is facing a growing strain in blood-related disorders, with 478 cases reported in January 2026 alone, including 285 confirmed blood cancer, a Kurdish senior official noted on Wednesday.
At a press conference on the International Day of Cancer, Riyad Al-Naqshbandi, director of Hiwa Cancer Hospital in Al-Sulaymaniyah, outlined plans to build a larger facility this year aimed at reducing overcrowding, expanding clinical capacity, and improving patient care across the region.
He also stressed the importance of a specialized center for early cancer detection, pointing out that identifying the disease in its initial stages can limit its spread, lower treatment costs, and ease the burden on medical staff.
“The increase in numbers shows the daily pressure our staff face in diagnosing and treating patients, not to alarm citizens,” Al-Naqshbandi added.
Earlier today, the Kurdish Minister of Health indicated that 10,481 new cancer cases emerged in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2025, with around 40 percent involving patients from other Iraqi provinces who travel daily to the Region for treatment.
The Iraqi Ministry of Health’s Cancer Registry documented over 43,000 new cancer cases across Iraq in 2024. Among men, lung, colorectal, and leukemia cancers were most prevalent, while breast, thyroid, and colorectal cancers led among women. The Ministry further reported a steady rise in cancer incidence in the Kurdistan Region, where rates have more than doubled over the past decade, reaching 151 cases per 100,000 —slightly below the international average of 191 per 100,000.
Read more: Home or Hope? The Impossible Choice for Iraqi Cancer Patients
