Chechnya is experiencing a “cancer epidemic” never before seen in its history, according to the Institute for War & Peace Reporting. By anecdotal and official accounts, the incidence of lung, breast, thyroid and skin cancers and other disorders has risen steeply since war broke out in Chechnya. Lung cancer alone is five times higher in Chechnya than elsewhere in the North Caucasus, according to officials.
No “proper” care exists for cancer patients there, so those undergoing chemotherapy must leave the republic.
The epidemic’s origins are a mystery, but some suggest the stress of war could have something to do with it.
“Cancer epidemic in Chechnya”
Institute for War & Peace Reporting, October 18, 2007