The camp will offer screenings for all types of cancer and aims to identify individuals at risk of developing cancer or those who may already have it to improve their survival rates.
Uganda Cancer Institute has designated a two-day free
screening camp.
The camp will offer screenings for all
types of cancer and aims to identify individuals at risk of developing cancer or
those who may already have it to improve their survival rates.
Dr. Nixon Niyonzima, Head of Research and Training at the
Uganda Cancer Institute, told journalists on Friday that people are often
reluctant to undergo cancer checkups, especially if they show no symptoms,
which increases the risk of late detection.
He said that many individuals do not show signs
of cancer until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage, at which point
treatment options are limited.
He further noted that 70 to 80 percent of patients who
visit the institute are already in stages three or four of cancer, where only
pain management is possible, and little can be done to save their lives.
//Cue in the program is …
Cue out: … for screening”//
Dr Niyonzima said that despite free cancer screenings available at the institute, the
two-day camp will be enhanced.
“This is not to say that we
don’t do screening every day, we have a static cancer screening clinic that is
open Monday to Friday but we want to especially encourage people to come Monday
and Tuesday, we shall be doing several cancer types of screening to detect
cancer early and improve the odds of survival,”
Cancer remains a major health challenge in Uganda.
Estimates from the Uganda Cancer Institute for 2023 indicate that approximately
33,000 new cases are diagnosed annually, with over 80% identified at advanced
stages.
Among males, the most common cancers are prostate,
oesophagus, Kaposi’s sarcoma, stomach, and liver cancers, while cervical,
breast, oesophagus, Kaposi’s sarcoma, and stomach cancers are most frequent
among females. Statistics also indicate that cancer causes an estimated 21,000
deaths in Uganda each year.
Dr. Jackson Orem, the Executive Director of the Uganda
Cancer Institute, stated that the institute’s primary policy focus is cancer
prevention, and this initiative aligns with that goal.
However, Dr Orem explained that before prevention can be
effective, the public must be aware of the rising prevalence of various cancers
affecting the population. The institute, therefore, aims to close the
information gap in public awareness about cancer.
Dr. Orem cited statistics indicating that, in 2000, only
3% of the Ugandan population was aware of cancer. Today, awareness has increased
to 12%.
//Cue in: as a country …
Cue out: … in the population”//
Dr. Fred Okuku, a medical oncologist and
prostate cancer specialist, urged men to take advantage of the screening to
detect prostate cancer early, enabling effective treatment before the condition
worsens.
Dr Okuku noted that prostate cancer is common among men
over the age of 40, with symptoms such as frequent urination, painful
urination, weak urinary stream, blockages while urinating, and back pain.
He further highlighted that prostate cancer takes seven
to eight years to develop, meaning it is often in advanced stages by the time
many men seek a diagnosis.
