• Report shows esophagus and prostate cancer are the most common male cancers in eleven counties sampled.
• Breast cancer is still the most prevalent type of cancer amongst Kenyan women.
The National Cancer Institute has tabled a report detailing cancer prevalence rates per county, a move it hopes will help shape government intervention in combating the scourge.
The report submitted to the National Assembly’s Health Committee by institute CEO Alfred Karagu reveals top three most prevalent male and female type of cancer in selected counties.
The report shows that oesophagus and prostate cancer are the most common male cancers in the 11 counties sampled.
The 11 selected counties are the regions with high incidences of cancer cases in the country.
They are: Nairobi, Kisumu, Meru, Mombasa, Kakamega, Kiambu, Nyeri, Nakuru, Bomet, Embu and Eldoret.
Oesophagus cancer – which is the leading killer cancer in the country – is more prevalent in Kisumu, Kakamega, Nyeri, Nakuru, Bomet and Eldoret counties affecting both men and women, according to NCI.
The report submitted to MPs last week shows that men living in Nairobi, Kiambu, Mombasa, Meru and Embu counties are prone to prostate cancer than any other types of cancer.
Breast cancer is still the most prevalent type amongst Kenyan women from the selected 11 counties.
Breast cancer – according the report – is more prevalent in Nairobi, Meru, Mombasa, Kiambu, Nakuru and Embu counties.
In Bomet, Eldoret, Nyeri, Kakamega counties, most women patients suffer from oesophagus cancer.
In Nairobi, most men are at risk of prostate cancer with 32.1 percent prevalence rate followed by oesophagus cancer which has 12.8 per cent prevalence rate.
Colorectal cancer is third among most prevalent cancer cases in Nairobi with 10.3 per cent rate.
Breast cancer remains the top fear for Nairobi women as it ranks highest with 37.4 per cent prevalence rate followed by cervical cancer at 23.7 per cent while oesophagus cancer comes third according to NCI.
Most men in Kisumu are at a high risk of oesophogus cancer than any other type of cancer according to the study.
In the lakeside city, oesophagus cancer is at 9.9 percent, prostate cancer seven per cent while lymphoma’s prevalence rate is lowest at 3.3 per cent.
Women from Kisumu on the other hand are more exposed to cervical cancer than any other type of cancer according to the statistics.
NCI puts cervical cancer at 15.6 per cent in terms of prevalence followed by breast cancer (11 per cent) and oesophagus (8.6 per cent).
In Meru, prostate cancer is the most common male cancers at 14.5 per cent prevalence rate followed by oesophagus (17.6 per cent) and stomach cancer (12.5 per cent).
“Top three cancers in females in Meru, breast cancer is leading with 20.2 per cent, followed by cervical (17 per cent) and oesophagus (9.1 per cent),” reads the NCI report.
In Mombasa, men’s major worry is prostate cancer with 16.3 per cent prevalence rate, mouth and pharynx (5.6 per cent) and oesopahagus cancer (5.4 per cent) is least prevalent among the top three common cancers.
Coastal women, the survey indicates, are at risk of breast cancer more than any other type of cancer. Cervical cancer and oesophagus cancer follow in order of prevalence.
The country is currently grappling with a heavy cancer burden which has claimed a number of lives in the recent years.
Annually, the country records 47,887 new cases of all types of cancer and 32,987 deaths from all types of cancer combined.
In Kakamega, oesophagus cancer pose the greatest threat to men followed by prostate and stomach cancer.
Amongst women in the Western county, oesophagus cancer is most common followed by cervical and breast cancer.
Nationally, children under 18 years are more prone to leukemia which is most common with 17 per cent prevalence rate followed by Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma with 15 per cent rate.
Kidney (Wilm’s tumour) comes third among top five cancer common among children with six per cent followed by brain and nasopharynx cancers at five and 4.5 per cent prevalence rates respectively.
The institute CEO Karagu urged MPs to increase funding to the struggling institute to enable it carry its huge mandate.
The institute – the MPs heard - is surviving without an office and has no single staff to undertake its crucial mandate.
It has a staff requirement of between 60 to 100 staff but is currently having only six officers all seconded by the Ministry of Health.
“There is no payroll for the National Cancer Institute. We are working with a team of six deployed by the ministry. For three years, I have been running the institute alone,” Karagu said.