Insights into the Spectrum of Cancers in Uganda

Wismayer R

Published on: 2025-08-12

Abstract

Introduction: In Uganda and generally in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is an epidemiologic transition to noncommunicable diseases from infectious diseases. Effective strategies to mitigate the cancer burden may be designed by understanding the underlying factors responsible for this increase in noncommunicable diseases. The cancer registration coverage is low and evenly distributed in all regions of Uganda. This narrative review was conducted to determine the cancer burden in Uganda in order to allow for a timely intervention to mitigate cancer risk factors by Public Health authorities.

Discussion: This review reveals the low levels of cancer awareness which contributes to poor cancer screening and therefore presents a barrier to cancer control and prevention in our population. The sub-regional cancer spectrum in Uganda includes prostate, oesophageal, gastric, liver cancers and Kaposi sarcoma in males. Whilst in females, the sub-regional spectrum includes ovarian, breast, oesophageal and Kaposi sarcoma. There is a significant variation in cancer profile in some sub-regions of Uganda where Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was replaced by gastric cancer in males. This finding reinforces the need to support and establish more population-based cancer registries to encourage the establishment of regional cancer centres, determine the cancer burden and guide national control programmes in the country. Part of the national cancer control programme should include cancer surveillance using population-based cancer registries.