90 Kenyans Dying from Cancer Every Day

90 Kenyans succumb to cancer on a daily basis, making it one of the leading killer diseases in the country.

Data from the Ministry of Health released last week by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that the disease kills 69 per cent of its victims — 32,900 deaths annually.

This figure is more than 10 times the total number of deaths caused by road crashes which stands at approximately 3,000 Kenyans every year. Cancer now ranks third on the list of top killer diseases after pneumonia and malaria.

About 47,887 new cancer cases (around 130 per day) are recorded every year, an increasing trend despite campaigns and efforts to win the war on cancer. There has been a near 20 per cent growth in cases diagnosed every year.

Cancer of the oesophagus leads among men and women with 4,380 cases recorded yearly while breast and cervical cancer lead at 5,985 and 5,250 cases each among women. In men, prostrate cancer leads at 2,864 cases.

Breast cancer is the leading killer, with 23 per cent of its victims passing on while cervical cancer claims 20.5 per cent of its victims, prostrate ( 11.3 per cent), oesophagus ( 8.6 per cent) and colon at 4.5 per cent.

National Cancer Institute CEO Alfred Karagu attributed the increased cases of cancer in the country to different factors, including smoking, alcohol, diet and lack of exercise.

 “More people have turned to a westernised diet — eating foods that are high in sugar, fat and highly processed. This could be one of the reasons for increasing the cases,” he said.