Kenya chosen to support cancer registry and research

 

 

Kenya is undergoing an epidemiological transition, with an ever-increasing burden from non-communicable diseases like cancer where 42,000 cases were recorded in 2020, Acting Director General Dr. Patrick Amoth has said.

 

 

The DG further said that figures are as per the Global Cancer Index (GLOBOCAN), and their burden is expected to double by the year 2040.

 

 

 

He noted that Cancer is the leading cause of catastrophic health expenditure, impoverishing individuals, families and communities.

 

 

 

The DG made the remarks in a speech read on his behalf by the Acting Director of Quality and Standards at the Ministry of Health Dr Simon Kibias when he officially launched the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at a Nairobi hotel.

 

 

 

Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) has been designated as the collaborating Centre for IARC to support capacity building for cancer registries in sub-Saharan Africa. KEMRI will therefore be one of the three collaborating focal centers working closely with the sub-Saharan Africa hub, the Africa Cancer Registries Network and the Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development (GICR).

 

 

The designation is a major plus not just for KEMRI, but also Kenya and the region which is currently dealing with a surge of cancer and other Non-Communicable Diseases. Cancer registration is an essential platform for research and monitoring of cancer control programmes in the country.

 

 

Dr Amoth noted that effective cancer control requires massive investment across the entire health system, touching on all the health system building blocks, from health workforce training to health commodities, to financing, data and information systems.

 

 

“Cancer data is important within the cancer control continuum as it helps to document the cancer burden, informs policy prioritization, guides resource allocation and also helps to generate research hypotheses to guide necessary action,” he added.

 

 

The DG noted that historically, cancer data has not been well established in Kenya and research-based cancer registries were initially established by KEMRI in Nairobi and Eldoret.

Dr Amoth said as a result, the country has relied on international modelled estimates, GLOBOCAN based on the limited number of population-based registries, and sub-optimal reporting through the routine surveillance systems.

 

 

He added that the Ministry of Health has been formulating policies to guide the implementation of cancer control interventions.

 

 

These has been guided by the Kenya Cancer Policy 2019-2030 and the National Cancer Control Strategy 2017-2022, and within the constitutional framework of striving to provide the highest attainable health services to all Kenyans.

 

 

“As the country’s cancer control strategic plan expires this year, I am happy to inform you that the process of drafting the next plan is currently underway and request you to participate in this process towards tackling the cancer menace in the country,” he added.

 

 

While congratulating KEMRI for the role it has played in cancer registration in the country, the DG said the center establishes Kenya as a globally recognized regional center for cancer registration terming it a major milestone.

 

 

Dr Amoth noted that this will help in capacity building for cancer registration, create a skilled and adequately mentored cancer registration workforce that will ensure the continuous and proper functioning of cancer registries.

 

 

The center he said will provide technical expertise to both existing and additional cancer registries, established in line with the ministry’s policy documents.

 

 

“The center can support processing of the registry data to inform priority areas for cancer research as per our local epidemiological profile and inform dissemination of high-quality cancer burden data to all stakeholders, in the form of annual cancer burden reports,” he added.

 

 

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