Need for help in treatment of cervical cancers in the north

Though cancer of the cervix can be treated as long it is reported early, most of the women go to a health facility when it has reached its advanced stages and some even die without even knowing that he had cancer.

Dr Pontius Bayo is a senior consultant of gynaecology at St Mary’s Hospital Lacor, which is located seven kilometres west of Gulu. He specialises in treatment of cervical cancer, which is quite common in Uganda.

Statistics show that 47 per 1,000 women are diagnosed every year, and many of them die from the disease annually. “In the gynaecology ward, half of the patients are suffering from advanced cervical cancer,” he says, adding that any sexually active woman stands a risk of getting the cancer.

Treatment of cases
“Treating cancer of the cervix in Africa is not difficult if the women report early to hospital, but in places like Europe, there is regular screening of the cervix,” Dr Bayo noted.

At the hospital, they have just started doing screening for cervical cancer albeit with older technology. He says exclusion is used after identifying abnormal cell growth.

“That is what we do with abnormal cells that may lead to cancer. If it is in the early stage we remove the womb, if it is late, we refer the patients to Mulago for radiotherapy.”

Mulago is the only hospital in the country that has that kind of treatment. He notes that most of the cases come very late and that is why they are referred to the national referral hospital. He says chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy can help but it is not available at Lacor.

Not aware
Nighty Akello, a 36-year-old resident of Koro Abili, eight kilometres on Gulu-Kampala high way, has been suffering from cervical cancer for the last five years. She is one of the cancer patients being attended to at St Mary Hospital Lacor.

She says she was not aware of it until two weeks ago when she reported to Gulu hospital and she was diagnosed. “Two weeks ago, I fell sick and I was admitted to Gulu hospital. Later, I was referred here, now I am waiting for an operation,” she said.

Paulina Adong, who has cancer of the cervix which is in an advanced stage, said the doctor told her that her case needs to be referred to Mulago.

“I don’t know what to do, worst of all I am a single parent as I lost my husband during the war. Now, who will take me to Mulago?,” she asked.

According to Dr Paul Onek, the Director of Medical Health Services, Gulu, Adong’s case is just a sample of many other similar cases. There are thousands of cases that are reported when they are in advanced stages.

Die in silence
He estimated 80 per cent of the affected women died without being reported to health workers or facilities because most of them are not aware of the disease.

“Northern Uganda is very poor, people suffer and die in silence of this cancer yet in the developed world, there are organisations that aid cancer patients”, Dr Onek argued. There are also situations here where some caretakers have even abandoned cancer patients in hospital, according to Dr Bayo.

Annually, St Mary Hospital Lacor receives over 160 cases of cervical cancer. But northern Uganda still bears the brunt of marginalisation as it emerges from a two-decade long conflict. Some of the cases of cancer of the cervix is attributed to incidences of rape that occurred during the war. The good news may be that there are some doctors like Dr Bayo who are treating it but their work could be helped with more resources, technical staff and technology.

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