All of us have a part to play in addressing Kenya's rising cancer burden

Moi Teaching and Referral CEO Dr Wilson Aruasa when he led MTRH staff and Civil society groups in procession to mark the World Cancer Day in Eldoret on Saturday February 4, 2023. [Peter Ochieng, Standard]

Kenya's cancer burden is increasing at an alarming rate. Cancer is now the third leading cause of death amongst adults after infectious and cardiovascular diseases. According to the National Cancer Taskforce Report (2012-2018), the total number of new cancer cases increased from 37,000 to 48,000. In 2022, the task force indicated that 18 per cent of women and 14.3 per cent of men in Kenya are likely to develop cancer before the age of 75.

The World Health Organisation estimates that there are about 400,000 new cases of childhood cancer each year globally, with more than 80 per cent of them in low and middle-income countries like Kenya. The GLOBOCAN Report estimated that there were more than 3,000 new cases of childhood cancer in Kenya in 2020. However, other estimates put the figure between 6,000 and 7,000 cases per year from population statistics. Therefore 50 per cent of children with cancer in Kenya will die without a diagnosis. More than 80 per cent of childhood cancer is curable in high income countries but in our setting, only 30 per cent will survive.

Cancer in adults is closely related to adverse lifestyle risk factors like being overweight, use of tobacco and alcohol, and diets that are deficient of fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, according to the STEP Wise Survey for non-communicable disease risk factors, nearly a third of Kenyans are overweight, 13 per cent use tobacco, 19 per cent consume alcohol frequently, and only 6 per cent of the population consumes enough fruits and vegetables. This creates a worrying trend and possibly explains the rise in number of new cancer cases. Childhood cancer, on the other hand, has no known lifestyle risk factors and relies more on early detection and diagnosis.

Cancer has enormous devastating effects on the patients, their families and communities, and the nation as a whole. Cancer causes suffering not only from the illness but also has far reaching effects on the financial resources of a family, loss of productivity and is a cause of untimely death that leaves huge psychosocial burdens on the family and community. The health system is also affected by the increasing number of cancer cases that cause a stretch in the already limited resources in terms of human resources, diagnostic and treatment facilities.

The challenges of cancer care in Kenya are experienced from the time of diagnosis which is the entry point to the health system. Most patients (70-80 per cent) present with advanced disease at diagnosis. Financial hardship is also a major limitation since most patients have to pay for their health services out-of-pocket with the risk of pushing many families into abject poverty while seeking care. There is need for universal health coverage to be embraced since it proposes to protect such patients.

Not all is lost though. A number of cancer control measures recommended by the National Cancer Taskforce are currently being considered or being implemented by both public and private sector stakeholders. Decentralised care in order to increase accessibility of diagnostic and treatment facilities is one of the efforts. There is a push to have health financers like NHIF and private health insurances take up medical costs of cancer care. The Ministry of Health and other healthcare stakeholders have also been more deliberate in raising awareness about cancer in the country. These efforts are commendable but still a lot of work needs to be done to address this scourge.

Let's flatten the cancer curve and reduce the suffering that comes with a diagnosis of cancer to patients and their families. Let's work together to get a wealthier nation. Together we can.