The News
NAIROBI — Global pharmaceutical companies are ramping up a push for early cancer detection as a key step to enhance treatment of the disease across Africa.
AstraZeneca, Chinese genomics firm BGI Genomics and the World Health Organization (WHO) have all rolled out major early detection programs on the continent in recent months.
Africa faces one of the world’s highest cancer mortality rates at 88.9 per 100,000 incidences, according to the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. The number of annual cancer deaths in Africa is projected by the WHO to double to more than 1 million by 2030 unless urgent action is taken. The growing number of cases is driven by environmental, genetic and lifestyle factors including urbanization, pollution and tobacco consumption.
The cancer care burden in Africa is worsened by limited public spending on health compared to high-income countries. African governments spend, on average, less than $100 per capita on health costs, compared to about $8,000 in the United States. Chemotherapeutic medicines in Africa cost between three and six times more than international reference prices, putting them out of reach for many cancer patients.
The AstraZeneca program, launched in May in Kenya, aims to screen 1 million people in the East African country across three different cancer types – lung, breast and prostate cancer. It also aims to train more than 10,000 healthcare professionals, support more than 100 oncology centers, and boost access to critical cancer medicines.
And the WHO in January launched a three-year initiative to promote early breast and cervical cancer care detection in three African countries — Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
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David Fredrickson, AstraZeneca executive vice president, oncology business unit, told Semafor Africa that investing in early detection was “probably the most significant way” to achieve better outcomes including longer, healthier lives for patients, lower treatment costs, and reduced strain on health systems.
He added that early detection keeps patients out of the wider hospital system and means fewer patients require medicine, which reduces overall costs.
Several African countries have in recent years embarked on expansion of cancer diagnostics services in primary healthcare facilities, particularly for cervical cancer. Among them are Uganda, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Tanzania.
Martin’s view
Cancer care in Africa remains expensive, pushing it out of reach for many on the continent. With health budgets already constrained in many countries, interventions around early detection are crucial for the improvement of cancer care in Africa.
Improving the affordability and accessibility of cancer care however also requires other elements to be in place, and it’s important not to lose sight of them. In Kenya, for instance, prescribed drugs remain out of reach for many cancer patients, creating a desperate situation. The Pharmacy and Poisons board in May warned that fake breast cancer medication had “flooded the market”, cautioning that the drugs’ safety could not be ascertained.
Mercy Cheptoo had to quit her job as cashier to take care of her mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer in Nairobi in 2022. “It’s taken everything from us. We’ve had four fundraisers so far, and yet sometimes we still didn’t have enough to get the drugs she needed on time,” she told Semafor Africa.
Policymakers should channel more public funds towards cancer care and research.
Insurers should also be incentivized to provide expanded cancer care coverage across the continent. Without urgent action, Africa’s cancer burden is expected to double to 2.4 million new cases and 1.6 million deaths annually by 2045 according to the WHO.
Room for Disagreement
While investment in early detection is “critical” to better clinical outcomes, African governments and their healthcare partners need to improve the entire cancer care supply chain, said Philana Mugenyi, director of government affairs for sub-Saharan Africa at GE Healthcare. She told Semafor Africa that includes prevention and awareness-raising efforts, as well as expanding the specialist workforce, healthcare financing, and technology.
The View From Rwanda
Chinese genomics firm BGI Genomics in April launched its cervical cancer screening program in Africa in May, with Rwanda as the first beneficiary.
The program aims to provide 20,000 human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA tests for local women in a bid to enhance cervical cancer detection and prevention efforts, and improve local medical testing capabilities.
“This initiative is pivotal for enhancing the well-being of our community,” Pudence Rubingisa, governor of Rwanda’s Eastern Province, said in a statement. “We are dedicated to leveraging all available resources, including our local health workers and agencies, to facilitate effective screening, awareness, and educational efforts.”