Prof Ponsiano Ocama, a lead investigator of the study says that in many low-income countries like Uganda, hepatitis B and not alcohol are the biggest causes of liver cancer.
Failure to vaccinate
against Hepatitis B is leading to an increase in the cases of liver cancer in
the country.
Hepatitis B is a liver
infection caused by a virus. It is spread through body fluids such as blood and
semen. It is the most common live infection in the world according to the US
Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The
infection which can be prevented through immunization is the most common cause
of liver cancer according to experts.
A study carried out by
John Hopkins University and Makerere University shows that in Uganda liver
cancer is primarily caused by hepatitis B. The study referred to as the African
Liver Cancer Study had over 700 liver cancer patients and persons not suffering
from the disease but who love lifestyles that expose them to the disease.
Findings from the study
show that; 45 percent of liver cancer patients had hepatitis B while 5 percent
had hepatitis C. Alcohol contributed to 15 percent of the cases, while other
factors like diabetes, obesity, smoking, and use of drugs led to 32 percent of
the cases.
Prof Ponsiano Ocama, a
lead investigator of the study says that in many low-income countries like
Uganda, hepatitis B and not alcohol are the biggest causes of liver cancer.
"In less developed
countries the main cause of liver cancer is hepatitis B which goes untreated
while in more developed countries it's things to do with metabolic-related
conditions," he said.
Other causes of liver
cancer are alcohol consumption, diabetes, use of drugs, smoking, and obesity.
According to Prof Ocama,
liver cancer is common among men compared to women. Many cases are diagnosed
with the disease at the age of 35.
He says in developing
countries like Uganda, many of the cases are discovered when the disease is in
the terminal stage and more than 95 percent of the cases succumbed to the
disease in the first 3 three months after diagnosis.
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According to figures
from the Ministry of Health in 2019, the prevalence of liver cancer in the
country stood at 12.2 percent. Dr. Noleb Mugisha, the head of the Comprehensive
Community Cancer Program at the Uganda Cancer Institute says many people in the
communities do not seek treatment early for this type of cancer because little
is known about it.
"In the
communities where we go, many people know about breast and cervical cancer but
not cancer of the liver which leads to many patients getting treatment late. By
the time they suspect it is cancer, the disease has spread and little can be
done for them," Dr Mugisha said.
Data published by the
World Health Organization estimates that a total of 1,522 people succumbed to
liver cancer in 2020. Many liver cancer patients develop the disease when they
are young.
To reduce
the number of persons who succumb to the disease annually, the Minister of
Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng 2019 announced that the country was going to
start vaccinating children against Hepatitis B during the African Hepatitis
Summit.
However, to date, the
vaccine is not part of the routine immunization schedule. Dr. Immaculate
Ampaire, the deputy programme manager of the Uganda National Expanded Programme
on Immunization(UNEPI) says the vaccine is only available in private hospitals.
"Private hospitals
have it because they normally follow WHO recommendations but government is yet
to start offering the shots. We have not yet begun immunizing against it in
routine immunization but talks to that effect have begun. Discussions are
ongoing to agree on institutional requirements in terms of finance and other
infrastructure that would be needed to start carrying it out," she said.
