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Pilot Project to Collect National Cancer Status Data in Uganda

This summer, I will be volunteering with UCRF to work on the Cancer Survey Project.  The Cancer Survey Project is part of UCRF's Research and Education Section's Plan to obtain accurate cancer data for Uganda.

Accurate data about disease incidence (new cases) and prevalence (existing cases) are vital for planning public health programs, especially for cancer. Data are sparse on cancer incidence and prevalence in Uganda, hampering the design and delivery of health education messages that stress risk factors, early detection or prevention, and the planning for treatment of cancer in the face of scarce health resources.

A historical cancer survey conducted in the 1960s (Templeton and Hutt, 1973) demonstrated that cancer diagnosis, although seeming to be incomplete, it was not uncommon. Risk for cancer increased with age, but cancers diagnosed appeared to be different by geography. For example, stomach and oesophageal cancer appeared more frequent in the Western regions, penile cancer more frequent in Buganda, and Burkitt lymphoma and Kaposi sarcoma more frequent in West Nile than elsewhere. These differences were due to differences in access to care and to some risk factors for cancer being common in some but not other areas. No cancer survey has been conducted in Uganda since.

Contemporary cancer data comes from the Kyaddondo County Registry, based at Makerere College of Health Sciences, but this covers only 3% of Uganda’s population in Kampala District and parts of Wakiso and Mpigi districts (Wabinga, 1993), and is not nationally representative. Nationally representative data are needed to inform policy and public health efforts.

UCRF will conduct a National Cancer Status Survey for cancers diagnosed over the past 2-5 years at regional and district centres in three regions of Uganda, excluding the central region, which is covered by the Kyaddondo Cancer Registry. The survey will provide base-line data and demonstrate feasibility a Cancer Surveillance Program in Uganda. The survey will take 4-8 weeks during summer and will be the basis for a preliminary Uganda Cancer Status Report.