Seven in Ten Ugandan Children with Cancer Miss Out on Care — Uganda Cancer Institute

Every year, an estimated 3,278 children and adolescents develop cancer in Uganda, yet only 36% manage to access care at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) or its regional centres in Gulu and Mbarara. This means that seven out of ten children are missed, according to the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI).

Despite these sobering statistics, survival is possible for those who reach treatment. UCI’s five-year data show survival rates of 68% for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, 55% for Burkitt’s lymphoma, and 44% for Wilms tumour.

“These figures prove that survival is real and possible in Uganda,” said Dr. Joyce Balagadde Kambugu, Head of Paediatric Oncology at UCI. Her remarks were delivered by Dr. Alfred Jatho, Head of Community Cancer Services at Uganda Cancer Institutes, on Wednesday as the Institute launched September Gold, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, under the theme “Keeping Hope Alive“, in Kampala.

Dr. Kambugu noted that in Uganda, childhood cancer is still widely viewed as a death sentence, leading families into despair, denial, or reliance on alternative remedies. This stigma, she said, robs children of the chance to live fully, even while under treatment.

“Even if a child dies next year, let them live today, go to school, sit exams, and dream with their peers,” she said.

Adding that children who survive cancer often face additional setbacks, particularly in education and fertility. Survivors frequently return to find they have fallen behind in school, while studies show that nearly half of female survivors and a fifth of male survivors face infertility.

The UCI, mandated to lead cancer control in Uganda, is integrating childhood cancer into national clinical guidelines, referral pathways, and awareness campaigns. Services now extend beyond Kampala to Gulu and Mbarara, offering chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and supportive care.

Looking forward, Dr. Kambugu said the Institute is working with partners to strengthen follow-up, psychosocial support, education continuity, and fertility preservation. She called on the Ministry of Education to establish exam centres at UCI and support school reintegration, while also linking cancer patients to fertility services available at Mulago Women’s Specialised Hospital.

“Keeping hope alive means being intentional about survival, through education, fertility support, and dignity for every child,” she added.

To mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, UCI and partners have lined up several activities, including:

• September 7: Launch of school and community awareness campaigns.
• September 16: UCI Open Day, where the media and public will tour children’s services.
• September 24: Red Carpet Survivors Celebration — where cured children from Kampala, Gulu, and Mbarara will walk the red carpet, ring the bell, and receive certificates.
• All month: The Gold Ribbon Campaign and a Feeding Program for children under treatment, supported by Faces of Courage.

“For the children not yet diagnosed, let us find them early. For the children in treatment, let us support them to live positively. For those who survive, let us manage their survivorship with dignity. Uganda has the structures in place; what is needed now is deliberate action” Dr. Kambugu appealed.