Cancer: 75% of patients reach advanced stage in Uganda
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Nile Post
About 75% of patients treated at the Uganda Cancer Institute arrive when the disease has reached stages three or four, oncologist James Kafeero said. Uganda records nearly 30,000 new cases a year, according to the institute, which is calling for earlier screening.
About 75% of patients receiving cancer care at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) arrive when the disease has reached stages three or four, said Dr James Kafeero, the institute’s oncologist, quoted by Nile Post. This delay reduces their chances of successful treatment. Uganda records about 30,000 new cancer cases every year, with breast cancer among the most common after cervical cancer.
Dr Kafeero attributed these late consultations to misinformation, fear of treatment and a lack of awareness. Some patients also wait because they do not feel pain at the beginning of the disease, while signs such as a lump, changes in the shape or skin of the breast and changes to the nipple should lead to a medical consultation. He called on women and men to examine their breasts regularly, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, held every year in October.
