Ethiopian Organization for Cancer Prevention and Research
Advancing equity for better health in Ethiopia.
We work to reduce cancer mortality in Ethiopia by focusing behaviour, public policy and research on prevention and early detection — and by making that knowledge and those services reach the communities furthest from care.
Early detection
Found early, cervical pre-cancer can often be treated in a single visit.
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa, 15 January 2026
Where to get screenedEthiopia cancer control dashboard
Ethiopia cancer control dashboard79,239
Estimated new cancer cases · 2024
All cancers, both sexes. Modelled IARC estimate for the 2024 round.
18,840
Breast cancer, new cases · 2024
Women, all ages. The most common cancer in Ethiopia on this estimate, at 23.8% of all new cases. Modelled IARC estimate for the 2024 round.
8,159
Cervical cancer, new cases · 2024
The second most common cancer in Ethiopia on this estimate, at 10.3% of all new cases. WHO AFRO cited the 2020 round's figure of 7,445 in November 2025; this is the 2024 round.
4%
Cervical screening, ever · 2019
Women aged 30 to 49, any method. The 70% target assumes a high-performance test; Ethiopia’s programme uses VIA, which is not one.
Source: WHO Global Health Observatory
What we do
What we work on
Prevention
Tobacco control, HPV vaccination, diet and activity — the risks that can be removed before disease begins.
Lower your riskEarly detection
Screening access for underserved communities, with a focus on cervical and breast cancer.
Find screeningResearch
Behavioural, health services and tobacco control research, plus grants for early career scientists.
- Behavioural Research Unit
- Cancer Health Services Research
- Tobacco Control Research
- The CEASE project
- Ethiopia cancer control dashboard
Advocacy
Working with government at every level on access, affordability and equity in cancer care.
Policy and advocacyOur research
Three research units
- Behavioural Research — BRET Finding the best ways to prevent or reduce behaviours that increase cancer risk, and to support participation in evidence-based screening.
- Cancer Health Services Research — CHSR Improving value-based cancer services across the care continuum using real-world outcomes and cost data.
- Tobacco Control Research — TCR Surveillance, policy enforcement and cessation — working toward an Ethiopian generation free of tobacco use and the cancer it causes.
Reduce your risk
What lowers cancer risk
Tobacco
IARC judges the evidence sufficient that smoking causes cancer at many sites — among them the lung, mouth, throat, oesophagus, stomach, bowel, liver, cervix and bladder.
Source: IARC Monographs, classifications by cancer site, 18 May 2026
HPV vaccination
In Ethiopia the vaccine is given at age nine, through routine immunisation.
Diet, weight and activity
WHO recommends at least 400 g of fruit and vegetables a day for anyone over 10. IARC judges the evidence sufficient that alcohol causes cancer at eight sites, breast among them.
Source: WHO healthy diet fact sheet, 26 January 2026 · IARC Monographs, 18 May 2026
Evidence and positions
Policy and evidence briefs
- Cancer and the household bill What Ethiopian financing and capacity data show
- Hepatitis B in Ethiopia A falling child prevalence and 7.66 million people already infected
- Cervical screening in Ethiopia The coverage figure, and the test the 2030 target counts
- Tobacco control in Ethiopia Cigarette tax at 45.9% of retail price in 2024, against a 75% benchmark
Get involved
Membership
Membership is open to individuals and organisations working in cancer control across Ethiopia.