Kenya records over 42,000 cancer cases annually

A report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer shows that Kenya records 42,116 new cancer cases annually out of a population of 53,771,300. 

This comes down to 115 cancer cases diagnosed daily with 75 patients succumbing to the illness in the same period.

16.1 percent of the new cancer cases which were reported in 2021 were breast cancer, followed by cervical cancer at 12.4 percent.

Cervical cancer has been reported as the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Kenya and across the world.

The report also shows that children and rural populations are increasingly becoming more vulnerable to cancer than it was earlier thought.

Further, the most frequent age for female patients is 52 while for men it is 62.

The most prevalent cancer in women is breast cancer and cancer of the cervix, while for men it is cancers of the esophagus and prostate.

To investigate demand and supply factors for cancer control, the study surveyed seven of the 47 counties in Kenya.

It sampled 1,048 patients with cancer records and 12 healthcare facilities.

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