According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is one of the leading causes of death in Uganda, rising from 9.4% of mortality in 2005 to 13.3% at present. The most common factor causing an increase in cancer cases in Uganda being HIV/AIDS which increases the risk of one catching several cancers. Cervical and breast cancers are the biggest killers among women while prostate, and liver cancers account for 80% of deaths among men. The median age of a person diagnosed with breast cancer in Uganda is 45, and for cervical cancer is 431 . The causes of cancer in Uganda are mainly believed to be shifts in lifestyles characterized by increased consumption of fatty foods, alcohol abuse, heavy smoking and little exercise. Environmental degradation is also thought to be equally responsible for increased cancer; changes in radiation, pollution from industrial waste and garbage.
In spite of the high mortality rate due to cancer in Uganda, cancer education and screening are rare, and prognosis for most Ugandans with cancer is poor. Only 45% of breast cancer patients and 18% of cervical cancer patients survive five years after diagnosis because their cancers are diagnosed at late stages. Only 2 radiation units and one chemotherapy unit are available in the country and only about 5% of cancer patients have access to these facilities. The Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala is the only public facility at the moment that would be affordable by the majority of the poor women but it is understaffed, with only 5 specialists, and under funded to develop its infrastructure and human resources2. As such it is so crowded that an average woman without symptoms is not likely to visit for regular check-up. |
