By KT Reporter
The Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) has urged Ugandans to be cautious of cancer test kits.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday as the Ministry of Health announced an upcoming Conference on Cancer and Palliative Care where several researchers are set to showcase their latest innovations in cancer care, Benjamin Mwesige who heads research at UCI, said there is currently a test kit which allows women test for cervical cancer from home, but urged that such innovations should be adopted with caution.
Mwesige, a Clinical Oncologist, explained that the area of at-home tests is new and still under research, and that for anyone to use it, they will still need standardisation, as they give variations of results.
While the scientist only mentions cervical cancer, other such devices have been developed for other cancers, with innovators and users preferring them because patients are saved from spending long hours in queues at health facilities to seek testing services.
For instance, earlier in May, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States offered regulatory approval for Teal Health, another cervical cancer screening device. The device was approved after trials found that the device was as accurate as a test done at the hospital.
In Uganda, researchers at Makerere University are developing a kit that will offer tests using urine for both cervical and prostate cancer, which are also among the highest prevalent cancers in the country.
Mwesige, however, says such innovations are welcome, but individuals opting for them still need to seek proper screening physically, as cancer, unlike other diseases whose self-test kits have been easily developed, is not one disease but has a lot of interconnections that need to be assessed for a proper diagnosis to be made.
Dr Jackson Orem, the Executive Director of UCI, said the upcoming conference scheduled for 10th to 12th September will allow them to share knowledge on such and other innovations to see what can be embraced to improve cancer care.
Orem further said that the conference happening under the theme, “Embracing Uniqueness and Empowering Communities”, is the fifth of its kind, and this time they will involve users of the innovations researchers develop as much as possible, which is the reason why they have scheduled a workshop on survivorship.
Apart from talking about survivorship, Mark Mwesiga, the Executive Director of the Palliative Care Association of Uganda (PCAU), who is jointly organising the meeting, said research to be shared at the conference also covers caregivers of people battling life-threatening diseases such as cancer.
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