Time matters when it comes to cancer. Early detection, swift diagnosis and timely treatment are critical to ensure the best possible chance of survival. For women in Kenya, however, accessing the care they need can be fraught with difficulties.
It’s a shocking fact that Kenya has one of the highest mortality rates for breast cancer globally: 80% of women diagnosed with the disease are unlikely to survive beyond five years.1
One of the reasons behind this high mortality rate is late diagnosis. In 2020, research found that 68% of breast cancer cases in Kenya were diagnosed at an advanced stage, when the prognosis is poor.2
Screening for breast cancer can play an important role in early diagnosis, but too many women are unable to access the services they so urgently need. Women in rural locations can find it especially hard to reach a medical centre with screening facilities.
The story is similar in cervical cancer. It can be cured if it’s diagnosed early and treated promptly,3 but too many women don’t have access to cervical screening services.
This is something Roche and our partners in Kenya are determined to change.
Since 2019, Roche has been working with a growing group of partners in the EMPOWER collaboration who share our determination to improve cancer care for women in Kenya and beyond – starting with breast and cervical cancers. Today our partners include the Kenyan Ministry of Health, the County First Ladies Association, the International Cancer Institute of Kenya, Amref Health Africa and the Kenya National Health Insurance Fund.
From raising awareness of cancer warning signs to opening clinics to serve rural communities and finding solutions to reduce barriers to treatment, the EMPOWER collaboration is helping to write a new story for women and cancer in the country. And from 2024, in partnership with the Savannah Global Health Institute and the National Cancer Institute of Kenya, EMPOWER is harnessing the power of digital healthcare to reach more women than ever before.
EMPOWER takes a holistic approach to the barriers that women face in getting the care they need – from lack of awareness about the symptoms to look out for, to lack of access to medical facilities and lack of funding and reimbursement for treatment. We recognise that tackling just one of these barriers is not enough – to make a real difference, we must look at the problem from every angle to improve every stage of the cancer journey.
Many patients had been paying for treatment out of pocket. It was critical we brought in government bodies to ensure there’s accountability from their side in upholding our constitution of providing health for all.
To date, EMPOWER has opened 19 clinics to improve access to screening, diagnosis and treatment for women in Kenya. Over 132,000 women have received screening for breast and/or cervical cancer and 17,000 patients have been screened for other diseases including diabetes and hypertension.
Importantly, the time women wait between a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment has been dramatically reduced from an average of 18-24 months, to just 3-6 months. Access to treatment has also been improved: women diagnosed with breast cancer can now receive the recommended 18 cycles of treatment without having to fund the treatment themselves. EMPOWER has enabled more than 1,400 women to receive treatment.
Before the establishment of the unit, patients used to travel more than 200km to Kenyatta National Hospital and private facilities for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. This was expensive, time consuming and associated with delays, with patients sometimes missing treatment due to long queues as well as lack of follow up and poor outcomes.
The EMPOWER clinics focus on women’s health, but staff are also taking opportunities to support the health of men who accompany women to the clinic – educating them about their health and, to date, have screened 4,000 men for prostate cancer.
In August 2024, we launched a new chapter of EMPOWER in partnership with the National Cancer Institute of Kenya and the Savannah Global Health Institute. EMPOWER 2.0 will use digital technology to enhance the accessibility, quality, and efficiency of cancer care throughout Kenya. It will expand the reach of EMPOWER to screen over 300,000 women for breast and cervical cancer and strengthen diagnostic capacity, particularly in underserved regions.
Through EMPOWER 2.0 we will bridge geographic and financial gaps to pave the way for a brighter, healthier future for Kenyans.
EMPOWER 2.0 is a significant leap forward in how we approach cancer care. By implementing a platform that collects and analyses patient data throughout their treatment journey, we are making digital cancer care a reality in Kenya. This ensures that no woman, regardless of where she lives, is left behind in our fight against cancer.
Roche has been active in Africa for more than 70 years. Today we work with a wide variety of partners across the continent to support access to innovative diagnostics and treatments and work towards better healthcare – and better health – for everyone.
To find out more about partnering with Roche for a healthier Africa, please contact our Area Head, Maturin, via his
References
Matheka M, Mutebi M, Sayed S, Shah J, Shaikh AJ. Metastatic breast cancer in Kenya: survival, prognosis and management at a tertiary referral centre. ecancer. 2023 27;17:1566.
Republic of Kenya Ministry of Health. Breast Cancer Screening and Early Diagnosis Action Plan [Internet, 2021 October, cited 2024 Nov 25]. Available from:
World Health Organization. Cervical Cancer Factsheet [Internet; updated 2024 Mar; cited 2024 Nov 25]. Available from: