Cancer doctors urge wider screening as patients arrive at stage four

Cancer patients, survivors and health experts gathered at Texas Cancer Centre to mark World Radiotherapy Day 2026, raising awareness of radiotherapy in cancer treatment and calling for greater investment in equipment, infrastructure, funding and trained oncology workers. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

Oncologists are urging the government to expand cancer screening after warning that many patients reach hospitals with advanced disease, when treatment options are limited.

Clinical oncologist Mumo Muoki says about 70 per cent of patients presenting at hospitals have stage four cancer, leaving them with limited treatment options and less favourable outcomes.

“Most of the people that present in our hospitals, they usually present with an advanced stage of cancer. Most of them, like 70 per cent, they present with stage four disease where treatment options are limited, and the outcomes are not quite favourable,” Muoki warns.

Muoki spoke during Customer Service Week at Texas Cancer Centre, where healthcare professionals called for greater public awareness, early screening and stronger family support for people undergoing cancer treatment.

He urged the government and other stakeholders to expand access to screening services to help identify cancer before it advances.

The World Health Organization estimates that Kenya records about 44,700 new cancer cases and 27,000 cancer-related deaths annually.

Its 2025 annual report identifies limited access to screening, particularly in rural and underserved areas, as a challenge to early detection and timely care.

Dr Elvus Obura, a pharmacist at Texas Cancer Centre, says improved diagnostic tools are giving healthcare institutions more opportunities to identify cancer cases.

“There have been newer modalities of screening and identifying cancer stationed in almost every healthcare institution,” Obura explains, adding that expanded diagnostic capacity allows the country to identify more cases.

Healthcare professionals also warn that patients can struggle to complete treatment without support from their families.

Priscilla Onyango, a clinical navigator at Texas Cancer Centre, says some patients stop treatment when they lack support from relatives.

“A patient is coming in; they start the treatment, but because of relatives and not getting support from the right people, from their own relatives, they now become treatment-naive, like they stop the treatment,” Onyango says.

Psychologist Sharon Monchari urges people to seek medical attention when they notice changes in their bodies, warning against dismissing symptoms such as wounds.

She says early screening can help patients seek care before their conditions advance.

The calls come during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign that promotes public education, screening and early detection.