Health experts have warned of rising child cancer cases in Uganda.
According to medical experts more than 3,000 children are diagnosed with cancer in Uganda every year.
Addressing the media ahead of 4th Edition of the Children Cancer Run 2026 on may 17th aimed to raise public awareness on cancer,Dr Irene Nansubuga, an ophthalmologist at the Uganda Cancer Institute, said many Ugandans still mistakenly believe that cancer only affects adults citing leukemia, eye cancer, and cancers linked to blood and DNA disorders.
Nansubuga emphasized that childhood cancer is treatable and that many children can survive if the disease is detected early and treatment is completed as prescribed.
She urged parents and guardians to pay close attention to unusual symptoms in children and seek immediate medical care whenever concerns arise.
The Uganda Child Cancer Foundation Executive Director Moses Echodu said the initiative seeks to mobilise funds to support treatment and care for children battling cancer while also increasing nationwide awareness about the disease and the challenges families face during treatment.
He noted that many families struggle to afford transport, medication and other treatment-related expenses, forcing some patients to abandon treatment before completion.
“Childhood cancer in Uganda is a critical health concern, with an estimated 3,000+ new cases annually, yet only about 30% reach treatment centers,”she Stated
According to her common types of cancer include Burkitt lymphoma, leukemia, and Wilms tumor while highly treatable, late diagnosis, low survival rates (20-30%), and high treatment abandonment (30%) due to financial/transportation barriers pose major challenges
Nansubuga noted that over 60% of cases are linked to infectious causes, such as the Epstein-Barr virus causing Burkitt lymphoma adding that many families face significant barriers, including high treatment costs, lack of transport, and stigma, resulting in a 30% treatment abandonment rate.
She revealed that Only about 30% of children with cancer reach the Uganda Cancer Institute for treatment, meaning many remain in communities without adequate care.
According to Dr. Olive Sentumbwe-Mugisa, a prominent expert in reproductive, maternal, and neonatal health worldwide, 429,000 children and adolescents develop cancer annually and Of these, almost nine (9) out of 10 children live in low- and middle-income countries, with almost 40% being from Africa.
According to her Uganda registers about 3,000 new child and adolescent cancers annually, with only 30% presenting to cancer treatment centres in the country. The most prevalent childhood cancers in Uganda include: Burkitt lymphoma, acute leukemia, Wilms tumour and rhabdomyosarcoma.
Although, most childhood cancers can be cured with appropriate treatment like generic medicines, surgery and radiotherapy, the three-year survival rate for childhood cancer in Uganda is around 20%-30%.
she said Improvements in childhood cancer outcomes depend on the ability of health system to coordinate early, ensure early case detection and referral, deliver intensive multimodal therapy, and provision of adequate supportive care for treatment-associated complications. Social support for the affected families is one of the facilitators of good cancer treatment outcome.
