Spearheading cancer awareness by benda kithaka

www.women4cancer.org
Spearheading Cancer Awareness
Benda N. Kithaka
Co-Founder
Women for Cancer
Early Detection and Treatment

Contents
-About Us
-Reality Check
-Current Focus on Cancer
-Refocusing the Conversation to ADVOCACY
-Qualifying Questions
-Vote of Thanks
Spearheading Cancer Awareness KESHO 2 Conference 2014

Our Mission
Toraisepublicawarenessofthebenefitsofearlytesting, andfacilitateearlydetectionandtreatmenttoreducetheprevalenceofcancer.
Our Vision
AKenyawhereeverywomanseestheneedtogetapaptestandcaneasilygetone,aswellasanynecessaryfollowup.
Our Values
Learning, Teamwork, Passion, Integrity, Compassion
3

2012
the year W4C
was formed
6
Number of Medical Camps
6000+
Awareness Talks
Reach to Date
Action
850+
No. of Women Screened
33
Follow Up
Cryotherapy
2
Hysterectomy
50+
Treated for Infections

Reality Check
Cancer touches the lives of nearly everyone, either directly or indirectly.
-Government–Economic & Health Burden
-Health Care Practitioner –Patient Management
-Family / Caregivers –Cost, Pain, Fear
-Patient –Fear of the unknown, Side Effects, Social Stigma
-Corporates–Manpower & Productivity
-General Public –Fear, Social Psychosis

Reality Check
At least 1/3 of all cancer are preventable.
-Vaccines & Lifestyle Changes
6 cancers respond well to treatment
-If discovered early often to 100% cure
80% of Cancers in Kenya Present Late
-Limited Treatment Option
-Very High Cost of Management
Prevention offers the most cost-effective long- term strategy for the control of cancer
[WHO: http://www.who.int/cancer/prevention/en/

Breast
1154
Cervical
1073
1154Moms
1073 Sisters
Statistics
Wanjiku
9 Spearheading Cancer Awareness KESHO Conference 2014

Esophageal
333
Stomach
243
Prostate
606
Large Colon
293
606 Dads
333 Husbands
293 Brothers
243 Grand Dads
Statistics
Omondi 10 Spearheading Cancer Awareness KESHO Conference 2014

Cervical Cancer in Kenya…
Cervical Cancer
New cases: 4,802
No. of Deaths: 2,451
Reported Annually
Age Standardized Rates [Incidence]: 40.5/100,000
Number of cases

Current Focus in Cancer
Awareness & Challenges

Scientific Advances
Biomedical Research Advances
-Strong Focus on Cure of Cancer
Wealth of Knowledge
-Scientific Papers, Journals, Treatment Protocols, Guidelines
Research & Empirical
-Incidence | Mortality | Morbidity
Emphasis on Risk Factors
-Genetics | Gender | Age

Social Psychosis
Fear of the Unknown
-Cost of Management and Treatment –Late Presentation
-Diagnosis with no Access to Treatment
-Apathy –Negative Experiences, Stigma
-Talk with no Action
Fatalistic Attitude [Cancer is a Death Sentence]
-Slows down the timeliness in seeking clinical interventions
-Fear affects preventative action

Social Psychosis
Cancer relegated to an event.Occasion.
Cancer Month
-Cancer only news in October.
“It is not cancer month yet”.
-Even in October.
Oversimplification of messaging which either creates misinformation or fear.

Community Awareness
Breast Cancer Awareness Month –OCTOBER
Social Awareness Campaigns as a strategy to empower women to
-Take action on breast cancer
-To comply with biomedical recommendations which include behavior change and treatment-seeking
Tactics
-Free Screening or Subsidized screening
-Pink consumerism
Approaches
-Target women with a simplified, high-impact messages.
-PR and Political Posturing [Cheque Presentations]

Community Awareness
Attitudes by various stakeholders who unintentionally propagate the stigma
-Blood transfusion vs. cancer patients @ public hospitals
-Insurance and caveats on medical cover
-Focus on curative as opposed to preventative medicine
-Investors on recovery of capital investments
-Government on Guidelines –who disseminates?
Awareness creation for the common populace
-Focus on myths, signs, symptoms, risk factors.

Outcomes
Justifications.
-Simplified high impact messages.
Results.
-Stereotypes.Myths. Fear of a horrible death.
-Unnecessary social psychosis
-Negative effects on decision making –slow uptake of clinical advice
-Miracle Preachers. Myths. Stigma.
-Herbalists & Traditional Cures.

Refocus the Conversation
Awareness to Advocacy

Cancer Advocacy
Political –Lobby to Impact Policy
Education –Provide cancer information and education.
Research –meets the needs of patients / community.
Fundraising –Raising funds to support cancer research, services, education and community outreach.
Support –Patient Navigation, families and caregivers.
Community Outreach –Engaging and reaching out to the community to foster cancer control.

Empower
Pedagogy = Teach. Educate. Instruct.
Learning happens when knowledgeable caring teachers use sound teaching processes (knowledge share) to impart relevant information towards better decision making

Evidence Based
Little activity on lifestyle and environmental cancer risk factors within our control
-Diet and physical activity
-Alcohol consumption
-Smoking
-Environmental Effects

9 Behavioral & Environmental Risk Factors
23
Major Role in Causing Cancer Deaths Globally
1.Overweight and obesity
2.Low fruit and vegetable intake
3.Physical inactivity
4.Smoking
5.Alcohol use
6.Unsafe sex
7.Urban air pollution
8.Indoor smoke from household use of coal
9.Contaminated injections in healthcare settings
The Lancet, Vol. 366, November 19, 2005,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16298215

6 Cancers, Multiple risk factors, Potential for Prevention / Cure
Risk Factor
Cancer Site
Diet & Physical Activity
Overweight And Obesity
Stomach,Colorectal, Breast
Low Fruit & Vegetable Intake
Colorectal,Lung, Stomach, Esophageal,
Physical Inactivity
Breast, Prostate, Colorectal
Addictive Substances
Smoking
Lung,Oropharynx, Stomach, Esophageal, Liver,Cervical
Alcohol Use
Liver, Esophageal,Breast
Mouth & Oropharynx
Reproductive Health
Unsafe Sex, HPV Virus
CervixUteri
Environmental Risks
Urban Air Pollution
Lung
Indoor Household Smoke –Use Of Coal

Risk Factor
Cancer Site
Reproductive Health
Unsafe Sex | HPV Virus
CervicalCancer
Environmental Risks
Urban Air Pollution
Lung Cancer
Indoor Smoke From Household Use Of Coal
Lung Cancer
Other Selected Risks
Contaminated Injections In Healthcare Settings. Hepatitis B
Liver Cancer
6 Cancers, Multiple risk factors, Potential for Prevention / Cure

Empower
Things you as a Physician can do...
Encourage behavior change
-A patient is not a statistic. They are people with faces.
-Give your time –mentor, train, advocate, do something
Bio medical recommendations
-Our choices.
-Our impact on cost.
-Our experiences.
-Service delivery.
All these Will determine how each patient is received. Spearheading Cancer Awareness KESHO 26 Conference 2014

Change the Awareness Objectives
Awareness objectives
-Demystify.
-Lifestyleand behaviour change
-Health service use
Strategies.
-Improve.
-Do all you can to increase prevention & Voluntary Screening
Empower.
-What can I do to mitigate the Risk factors. Incidence.Mortality.

Reflections
What Drives you in cancer Advocacy?
-Self interest (greed, self centeredness, materialism)
-Common good ( interconnected world, leadership, stewardship, guardianship, partnership )
African saying.
'A person is a person through other people'
The world is more interconnected now than ever before …

Qualifying Questions
How do I impact my Patients?
Am I helping to empower the Communities?
Pharma Companies. Is there something I can do for Access. Cheaper. Reach.
Government. Is it enough to draft guidelines? Who disseminates? Involve the people you serve.
NGOs. Why am I in this? Self Interest. Funds. Fashion. Management.
Media. January to December someone is going through the journey. Will you walk with us?
What do I need to change today in cancer awareness to ensure future generations do not die of preventable cancers?

Closing Remarks
“…many globally important types of cancer are preventable by changes in lifestyle behaviors and environmental interventions. To win the war against cancer, we must focus not just on advances in bio-medical technologies, but also on technologies and policies that change the behaviors and environments that cause those cancers”
Dr. Majid Ezzati

Special Thanks
Prof. Abinya
Dr. Zipporah Ali
AORTIC
Ms. Kwanele Asante-Shongwe
Women 4 Cancer Team
KESHO
Colleagues in KENCO
My Little Sister

Thank You

About the Presenter
Benda N. Kithaka
A Marketer by Profession who has taken up Cancer Advocacy to pass on the message that Cervical Cancer can be beaten if discovered early.
Serves as the Chair of the Organisation –Women 4 Cancer Early Detection and Treatment. A Kenyan non-profit Advocacy NGO whose mission is to advocate for a Kenya where every woman sees the need for cervical cancer screening and can easily access the services of screening, early detection and treatment easily and affordably

Bibliography http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277539514001368http://archive.sph.harvard.edu/press- releases/archives/2005-releases/press11172005.html
The study, "Causes of cancer in the world: comparative risk assessment of nine behavioral and environmental risk factors,"The Lancet, Vol. 366, November 19, 2005,was funded by the National Institute on Aging and by the Disease Control Priorities Project. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16298215?report=abstract

Spearheading cancer awareness by benda kithaka

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