Lung cancer is increasingly becoming a financial and emotional burden for families in Kenya due to the high cost of diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care, experts warn. Although lung cancer is ranked 11th among cancer types nationally, its high fatality rate of about 92% makes it one of the most deadly.
Dr. Lawrence Atundo Murunga, from the Multinational Lung Cancer Control Programme at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), revealed that out of 154 lung cancer cases diagnosed at the facility in the past year, 28 patients have succumbed to the disease. He noted that lung cancer in Kenya is often misdiagnosed as tuberculosis or other chronic lung conditions, potentially underestimating its prevalence.
Globally, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. According to 2022 statistics, there were 2.5 million cases worldwide, with 1.8 million resulting in fatalities.
Gideon Ayodo, Programme Officer at the Non-Communicable Disease Alliance-Kenya (NCDA-Kenya), emphasized that lung cancer treatment is pushing families into financial distress. He urged the government to implement effective health insurance policies under the Social Health Authority to help ease the financial burden on patients.
Diagnosing lung cancer is complex and costly, requiring advanced medical procedures such as CT scan-guided biopsies performed by intervention radiologists. Dr. Atundo highlighted that there are only two such specialists in the entire western region of Kenya, leading to significant delays in obtaining diagnostic samples.
“Lung cancer cannot be diagnosed through mere clinical observation. It requires a meticulous process involving the removal of lung tissue by a specialist,” he said.
Detecting lung cancer early significantly improves treatment outcomes. However, late diagnosis often results in poor survival rates and diminished quality of life. To address this, experts advocate for comprehensive treatment, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and palliative care.
Dr. Atundo stressed the importance of palliative care, given the high mortality rate, to enhance patients’ quality of life. Meanwhile, the Kenya Hospice and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA) has been running the Initiative in Lung Cancer Care (ILCC) programme, which has trained healthcare workers and caregivers over the past five years to improve awareness, diagnosis, and palliative care services.
