Report: Cancer strikes women earlier than men

Women in Kenya are being diagnosed with cancer at younger ages than men, with breast and cervical cancers continuing to drive the country's cancer burden.

This is according to the latest Kenya Cancer Statistics Report 2024, released on Thursday by the National Cancer Institute of Kenya (NCI-K).

The report shows that the country recorded 14,461 cancer cases from 74 reporting health facilities in 2024.

Of these, 8,222 cases were among women, compared to 6,225 among men, underscoring the disproportionate impact of the disease on women.

Speaking during the launch of the report, Gladys Chesumbai Onyango, Head of the National Cancer Registry at the National Cancer Institute of Kenya, said breast cancer remains the most common cancer in the country, followed by cervical, oesophageal, prostate and colorectal cancers.

"Breast cancer presents as the most common cancer, followed by cancer of the cervix, oesophagus, prostate and colon. These are the five top cancers in the country," she said.

Onyango attributed the higher number of cancer cases among women to the prevalence of breast and cervical cancers, noting that the diseases affect women at relatively younger ages.

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"We have also been able to identify that there are more women diagnosed with cancer, especially from that particular year and generally in the cancer landscape of Kenya, than the men. This is generally because of breast and cervical cancer," she said.

The report shows that women begin experiencing a higher cancer burden from around the age of 20, with cases increasing during the reproductive years. In contrast, the burden among men rises later in life, peaking between the ages of 60 and 79 years.

"In terms of age group, cancer presents earlier in women from about 20 years old all the way to 40 years. For the females, a lot of cancer happens during the reproductive years," Onyango added.

Breast cancer accounted for 28.3 per cent of all cancers diagnosed among women, followed by cervical cancer at 21.7 per cent, oesophageal cancer at 8.8 per cent, colorectal cancer at 5.3 per cent and stomach cancer at 3.3 per cent.

Among men, prostate cancer remained the leading diagnosis, accounting for 26.3 per cent of reported cases, followed by oesophageal cancer at 15.5 per cent, colorectal cancer at 7.8 per cent, stomach cancer at 7.2 per cent and leukaemia at 5.1 per cent.

Overall, breast cancer remained the leading cancer nationally, accounting for 16.7 per cent of all reported cases, followed by cervical cancer (12.4 per cent), oesophageal cancer (11.7 per cent) and prostate cancer (11.3 per cent).

The report also highlights the challenge of late diagnosis. Among patients whose cancer stage was documented, 78.6 per cent were diagnosed at Stage III or Stage IV, when treatment is often more difficult and outcomes are generally poorer.

Onyango said the institute is stepping up awareness campaigns and screening programmes to promote early detection, particularly among women who continue to bear the greatest burden of the disease.

"We are conducting cancer education to women to ensure everyone has access to information on cancer, to be aware and we are also conducting screening to detect cancer earlier," she said.

She said increasing public awareness and encouraging routine screening remain key to improving early diagnosis and treatment outcomes, as the country continues to grapple with a growing cancer burden.