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KAMPALA - Kampala district and Busoga region have the highest cases of breast cancer in Uganda according to a recent report released by the Government.

The  Uganda Demographic and Health Survey Report 2022 shows that while the national average for breast cancer is seven per cent, Kampala's prevalence currently stands at 10.7 per cent while Busoga's is nine per cent.

Elgon region comes in third at 8.5 per cent and Buganda fourth at 7.9.

The findings were released on March 7, 2024, by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics working in conjunction with the Ministry of Health.

The report notes that Karamoja has the lowest rates at only 2.9 per cent.

Other areas with low rates, according to the report, include Lango 4.1 per cent, Bunyoro 4.6 per cent and Ankole 4.9 per cent.

According to the report, these percentages are of women aged between 15 and 49 who were examined for cancer.

Risk factors

The main risk factor for breast cancer includes being a woman and getting older.
According to the World Health Organisation, most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older.

Other risk factors include having a relative who's suffered from the cancer, previous treatment for the cancer, and a woman's reproductive history.

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, starting menstrual periods before age 12 and starting menopause after age 55 expose women to hormones longer, raising their risk of getting breast cancer.

Breast cancer in Uganda is the third commonest cancer in women coming only next to cancer of the cervix and Kaposi's sarcoma.

According to the Ministry of Health, although treatment is possible, most cases are often seen in late stages thus the outcome of treatment is inevitably unsatisfactory.