The Holy Shrine of Imam Hussain announced that the “Iraq for a Healthy Lung” project, known as “Rouh wa Riya” (Soul and Lung), has become one of its leading health research initiatives for 2025, gaining international scientific recognition after presenting its early findings at a conference hosted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France.

Dr. Haider Hamza Al-Abidi, Head of the Health and Medical Education Authority at the Holy Shrine of Imam Hussain, said the project is being implemented through the Warith International Foundation for Oncology and is expected to continue for several years.

He explained that the initiative focuses on establishing free clinics at Al-Thaqalayn and Warith hospitals for the early detection of lung diseases. A specialized medical and research team will collect and analyze patient data over five years in cooperation with the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, with the goal of identifying environmental and genetic risk factors affecting the Iraqi population.

Al-Abidi noted that the project’s preliminary findings were recently published in a high-ranking scientific journal. He also revealed that the project’s director, Dr. Ahmed Al-Khafaji, participated in the IARC60 conference in Lyon, attended by health experts and researchers from more than 90 countries.

According to a statement issued by the Foundation, the conference highlighted the “Iraq Healthy Lung Project” as Iraq’s first internationally recognized early detection program. The project warned that lung cancer—currently the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Iraq despite ranking third in prevalence—could see cases rise by up to 231% by 2050 without effective early screening programs.

The Foundation also discussed future cooperation with IARC on developing Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) models to predict lung cancer risks among Iraqis, marking a significant step forward in early diagnosis and prevention.

The Foundation emphasized that participation in the global scientific forum opens new opportunities for international partnerships and advanced medical research. It also confirmed that free lung cancer screening services are currently being provided through Warith Foundation centers in Karbala and Basra as part of ongoing efforts to improve public health in Iraq.