KEMRI Launches Kisumu Cancer Registry

THE Kenya Medical Research Institute has launched a population-based cancer registry in Kisumu County. The head of National Cancer Registry at the Institute, Ms. Anne Korir said that the newly established Cancer Registry and Surveillance would be  the fundamental method by which information of cancer occurrence would systematically be collected and collated for informed decisions not just in at the county and nationally, but also internationally.

Addressing the gathering during the official launch of the Kisumu Cancer Registry at a Kisumu Hotel, Korir said this is the Cancer Registry in Kisumu was an encouragement to the impetus to expand similar programmes to other counties in the country.

She said that the Registry will also help in providing the information about the types of cancers that occur, the extent of the disease at the time of the diagnosis, the kind of treatment received by cancer patient, the outcomes of the treatment and clinical management.

Korir says the Cancer registries collect data on all cancer from multiple sources including hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, hospices, cancer screening programs and vital statistics offices among others.

Dr. Samuel Gathere represented the Deputy Director of the Center for Clinical Research, Dr. Verah Maduku where the National Cancer Registry is domiciled in KEMRI at the function. He had to say “establishment of population-based cancer registries in particular enables us to understand the distribution of cancer in different populations and to study variations over time between places and by population characteristics, geographical mapping to identify clusters of specific cancers and associated risk factors.”

Dr. Gathere said the move also require multi-institutional collaborations.

Kisumu County First Lady Dorothy Nyong’o who officiated during the colorful launch said cancer disease is really ravaging the people across the world. She says as a care giver, she has a person experience about the scourge.

Mrs. Nyong’o urges people to go for an early diagnosis, adding that when the disease is detected at either stage one of two then something can be done effectively or cost effectively. The Kisumu First Lady says her organization known as the Africa Cancer Foundation has screened a total of 25,000 people across the country for cancer.

Dr. Sydney Ogolla represented the Deputy Director incharge of the Center for Global Health in Kisumu during the event.

The meeting was informed that the National Cancer Registry was established in KEMRI in 2016 with grant from the Kenyan Government and the US-National Cancer Institute.

The Kisumu Cancer Registry (KCR) is a population based cancer registry located at the center for Global Health Research at the KEMRI Research station in Kisian, Kisumu County in Kenya. It was established in the year 2010 and covers the population of Kisumu County estimated to be 1,155,574 according to 2019 Census.

The registry since its inception was supported through a grant from the State University of New York (SUNY) under Prof. Rosemary Rochford in collaboration with KEMRI registry staff.

This re-launch of the Kisumu Cancer Registry has been spearheaded by the National Cancer Registry at KEMRI in collaboration with Kisumu County and the National Cancer Institute of Kenya which is developing a population based cancer Registry to be located at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral hospital.

It is an activity which is being done with a view to availing data for research and cancer control programs to the County Government of Kisumu and the National.

Additional information from Dickson Odhiambo