gms | German Medical Science

50. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Medizinische Informatik, Biometrie und Epidemiologie (gmds)
12. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Epidemiologie (dae)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Informatik, Biometrie und Epidemiologie
Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Epidemiologie

12. bis 15.09.2005, Freiburg im Breisgau

Cancer survival in Kampala, Uganda

Meeting Abstract

  • Adam Gondos - Department of Epidemiology, German Centre for Research on Ageing, Heidelberg, Germany
  • H. Brenner - Department of Epidemiology, German Centre for Research on Ageing, Heidelberg, Germany
  • H. Wabinga - Kampala Cancer Registry, Department of Pathology, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
  • D.M. Parkin - Unit of Descriptive Epidemiology, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Informatik, Biometrie und Epidemiologie. Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Epidemiologie. 50. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Medizinische Informatik, Biometrie und Epidemiologie (gmds), 12. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Epidemiologie. Freiburg im Breisgau, 12.-15.09.2005. Düsseldorf, Köln: German Medical Science; 2005. Doc05gmds089

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/gmds2005/05gmds114.shtml

Published: September 8, 2005

© 2005 Gondos et al.
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Outline

Text

Epidemiological data on the occurrence of cancer in sub-Saharan Africa are sparse, and population based cancer survival data are even more difficult to obtain due to various logistic difficulties. The population-based Cancer Registry of Kampala, Uganda, has followed up the vital status of all registered cancer patients with one of the 14 most common forms of cancer, who were diagnosed and registered between 1993 and 1997 in the study area. We report 5-year absolute and relative survival estimates of the Ugandan patients and compare them with those of black American patients diagnosed in the same years and included in the SEER Program of the United States. In general, the prognosis of cancer patients in Uganda was very poor. Differences in survival between the two patient populations were particularly dramatic for those cancer types for which early diagnosis and effective treatment is possible. For example, 5-year relative survival was as low as 8.3 percent for colorectal cancer and 17.7 percent for cervical cancer in Uganda, compared with 54.2 and 63.9 percent, respectively, for black American patients. The collection of good quality follow-up data was possible in the African environment. The very poor prognosis of Ugandan patients is most likely explained by the lack of access to early diagnosis and treatment options in the country. On the policy level, the results underscore the importance of the consistent application of the national cancer control programme guidelines as outlined by the World Health Organization.