Uganda Cancer Institute celebrates child cancer day

Today 15th February 2018 is International Childhood Cancer Day which highlights the need for concerted global actions to address the death, suffering and losses to families due to cancer in children. Uganda joins the rest of the world to commemorate this day. In developed countries, cancer is the leading cause of natural death in children once they survive infancy.

Globally, including in Uganda, cancer in children is threatening to overtake infections, as one of the highest causes of death in children. For example, currently in Uganda about 3,000 children are diagnosed with HIV infection every year while 7,000 children are estimated to develop cancer every year. The Uganda Cancer Institute received 512 referrals of children with cancer in 2017, up from 476 in 2016.

Cancer in children is unique from adults. Whereas cancer in children cannot be prevented or even screened, the majority of cases of cancer in children can be cured. While the number of children with cancer is much less compared to adults with cancer, curing children with cancer results in saving much higher productive life years because each child that is cured has the chance to live many more years.

In developed countries, 80% of children with cancer are cured. At the Uganda Cancer Institute, currently the only dedicated treatment center for children with cancer in Uganda, 55% of children are alive at 1 year after being diagnosed with cancer - most of whom are ultimately cured.

Whereas this cure rate still lags behind that in developed countries, it is one of the highest in sub-Sahara Africa and is rapidly improving. These improvements in cure of children with cancer in Uganda are being achieved through a highly specialized, dedicated team of paediatric oncologists, paediatric surgeons, radiation oncologists, radiologists, and pathologists as well as a successful partnership of Uganda Cancer Institute, with Texas Children's Hospital, and other local partners including the Ministry of Health.

With three (3) full-time certified children's cancer specialists together with a team of fourteen (14) dedicated doctors and twenty four (24) nurses and support Staff, the pediatric cancer program at Uganda Cancer Institute is one of the largest and best in sub-Sahara Africa. Notably, this program is also training children's cancer specialists for the East African Community, extending its impact to all children in the region. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THIS