RFH Hospital installs Kenya's third PET-CT for cancer diagnosis

Kenyans with cancer in low-income areas can now access PET-CT scan services – for which many people used to travel to India – following the installation of the first such machine in Ruai, Nairobi county. 

The Positron Emission Tomography-CT Scan, installed by the Ruai Family Hospital is the third in Kenya, but the second by a private hospital after the one at Aga Khan Hospital in 2017. However, it is the first available in a low-income area.

The other facility with the machine is the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital.

The scan is used to produce detailed three-dimensional images of the inside of the body. It can detect cancers. In confirmed cases, it is particularly helpful to determine how far cancer has spread and how well the disease is responding to treatment.

The scan also shows body organs that are not working normally, such as parts of the brain or areas of the heart that have been damaged by blocked blood vessels.

Ruai hospital also installed the SPECT-CT technology, which can help show bone cancer or cancers that have formed in areas of the bone, stress fractures and bone infections. It can identify such disease, even at its early stages before other imaging exams.

“The story of cancer is a scar on almost all of us. In its path, a trail of utter devastation, broken ties, shattered dreams and often - loss of loved ones. It is undiscriminating. Luckily, due to the advancement of medicine, today we have testimonies that it is not an outright death sentence,” Dr Maxwell Okoth, the hospital’s founder, said. 

“Two years ago, RFH Healthcare embarked on a journey to leave its mark in the fight against the third leading cause of death in Kenya. Today, we are glad to announce that @rfh_healthcare has acquired the third PET-CT and SPECT-CT scans in the country!

“We are grateful to have a chance to impact the lives of our loved ones both here in Kenya, East Africa and beyond. These advanced technologies will enable us to diagnose and treat cancer more effectively as we also  stress on preventive healthcare and early diagnosis. We are looking at ways to make this more affordable than ever before.” 

RFH Healthcare comprises five hospitals (the 50-bed hospital in Ruai, a 10-bed maternity hospital in Tala, a 24-hour outpatient facility in Embakasi, an outpatient facility in Jacaranda Gardens and a 100-bed multi-specialty hospital in Ruai).

The chain currently attends to about 500 patients a day and has plans of expanding across the country and the East African region.

The acquisitions by RFH Healthcare are important in creating access to advanced diagnostics not only for Kenyans, but also other African countries.

According to the World Health Organization, most people in Africa have no access to advanced nuclear medicine and diagnostic machines.

As the third leading cause of death in Kenya, cancer is a major public health concern, placing a great burden on families, communities and the health system.

In 2018, the country reported 47,887 new cancer cases and 32,987 cancer-related deaths, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The Ministry of Health projects these cases to increase to at least 58,000 every year from 2028, based on the growing incidence of the disease.

The ministry says the numbers will continue to rise because of improved diagnosis and increased life expectancy.

Currently, the old age population (above 60 years) is the fastest growing segment of the population and the most predisposed to cancer.

The ministry said overall, the country's population growth, increased urbanisation and increase in risk factors for cancer will lead to more numbers.

“Going by the current trends, it is projected that there will be an estimated 58,000 new cancer cases in Kenya in the year 2028, increasing to an estimated 95,217 incident cases by 2040,” the ministry says in the National Cancer Control Strategy (2023–27).

Cancer is the third leading cause of death in Kenya after infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases.

The disease, which refers to about 100 closely-related conditions, kills about 27,092 Kenyans every year.

Currently, about  82,000 people are living with the disease.

Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha said many of these cases could be prevented.

“About 40 per cent of all cancers can be prevented through avoidance of known modifiable risk factors, immunisation and making our living environment healthier,” she said.

“This means that out of the 42,116 cases of cancer diagnosed every year in Kenya, around 16,846 could be prevented.”

Dr Patrick Amoth, the acting director general for Health, said the ministry will collaborate with other sectors to improve prevention.

“This strategic plan also adopts a multi-sectoral approach in reduction of the burden of cancer risk factors, including tobacco and alcohol use, occupational exposures, air pollution, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity,” he said.

Most preventable cancers are linked to tobacco use (responsible for 20-30 per cent of all new cancer cases or cancer deaths), alcohol use (3-7 per cent), overweight and obesity (3-10 per cent), physical inactivity, deficient intake in fruits and vegetables (five per cent) or infectious agents.

“Tobacco consumption, for example, has been linked to tumorigenesis (formation of a tumor) including but not limited to lung cancer, laryngeal-esophageal cancers and bladder cancer,” the strategic plan says.

According to the plan, Kenya should cut tobacco and alcohol use by half.

The top five cancers include breast, cervix, prostate, oesophagus and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, which account for nearly half (48 per cent) of the cancer burden in the country.