Cancer incidence in Northern Uganda (2013–2016). Issue 12 (15th January 2019) - Okongo, Francis
Abstract : Gulu Cancer Registry was established in 2014 to assess the incidence and survival of cancer in 4 districts of the Acholi Sub‐region of northern Uganda. Here we report the results of the first 4 years of registration (2013–2016) in this largely rural population of 771, 514. In total there were 1627 cases of cancers registered; 644 among men (corresponding to an ASR of 106.7 per 100, 000 population) and 983 cancer cases among women (ASR 118.5 per 100, 000). The most common cancers were cancers of the cervix and non‐Hodgkin Lymphoma in females, and non‐Hodgkin Lymphoma, Kaposi Sarcoma, prostate and liver cancers in men. Incidence rates of Burkitt lymphoma in children were high in comparison to elsewhere in Africa, whilst the incidence of breast cancer in women was rather low. The figures suggest a rather different pattern from that observed in the metropolitan population of Kampala, where there has been a cancer registry since 1951. This helps to provide a more complete picture of the national cancer profile, permitting more targeted interventions in prevention, early detection and treatment services. Abstract : What's new? Up until recently, cancer incidence estimates in Uganda have been entirely dependent on the Kampala Cancer Registry, which represents about 8% of the national population. Here, the authors report on the first 4 years of the Gulu Cancer Registry, which covers a predominantly rural region of northern Uganda. The figures suggest a rather different pattern from that observed in the metropolitan population of Kampala, with high rates of cervix and liver cancer and non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (especially childhood Burkitt lymphoma). The findings help provide a more complete picture of the national cancer profile, permitting more targeted prevention, detection, and treatment interventions.