Dr Lawrence Atundo of Moi Referral Hospital during a workshop /KNA
Cancer is one of the chronic, non-communicable diseases, whose diagnosis, treatment and management, including palliative care, is costly.
Lung cancer has been found to be one of the cancers with high mortality rates.
Dr Lawrence Atundo, who works with the multinational lung cancer control programme based at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, says out of 154 patients diagnosed with lung cancer at the facility within the last year, 28 have succumbed to the disease.
While not among the most prevalent cancer types in Kenya, the burden may be underestimated due to misdiagnosis as tuberculosis or other chronic lung conditions.
It is ranked 11th nationally but with a fatality rate of about 92 per cent. Globally, lung cancer cases stood at 2.5million as per 2022 statistics, with 1.8million deaths — making it the leading cause of cancer-related deaths.
Non-communicable Disease Alliance-Kenya programme officer, Gideon Ayodo, said lung cancer was impoverishing families due to high cost of treatment.
The government should implement appropriate policies in the Social Health Authority regarding health insurance cover for cancer treatment to alleviate patients’ suffering. During a workshop on initiatives in lung cancer care, Atundo said diagnosing lung cancer was not easy as it cannot be caught through clinical observation.
“Lung cancer is not a disease that can easily be diagnosed at a low-level health facility because its diagnosis is meticulous and very expensive, requiring a high-end health facility,” he observed.
“The process of diagnosis requires removal of a tissue by a specialist. An interventional radiologist is the only one who is able to avail the tissue from the lungs and take it through a CT scan guided biopsy. ”
Lack of adequate professionals adds to the challenge of getting samples to test for the disease.
“In the entire western region, we only have two interventional radiologists making it very difficult for them to handle all suspicious cases of lung cancer on time.”
When diagnosed at an early stage, the chances of successful treatment become a reality, but when the cancer has advanced and spread, the chances of survival along with quality life, may drop significantly.
Treatment of lung cancer is holistic and not just chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or any conventional treatment.
“We are putting a lot of effort into palliative care. Considering the high mortality, palliative care plays a key role in ensuring the patient has a better quality of life as they go through the disease,” he said.
A toolkit that will empower patients and caregivers with knowledge and support was also launched.
