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 Conference 20142

Our Mission

To raise public awareness of the benefits of early testing,

and facilitate early detection and treatment to reduce the

prevalence of cancer.

Our Vision

A Kenya where every woman sees the need to get a pap

test and can easily get one, as well as any necessary

follow up.

Our Values

Learning, Teamwork, Passion, Integrity, Compassion3

2012the year W4C

was formed

6Number of Medical

Camps

6000+

Awareness Talks

Reach to Date

Action

850+No. of Women

Screened

33Follow Up

Cryotherapy

2Hysterectomy

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/


http://www.who.int/cancer/prevention/en/

Breast 1154

Cervical 1073

1154 Moms

1073 Sisters

Statistics

Wanjiku


Esophageal

333

Stomach243

Prostate 606

Large Colon

293606 Dads

333 Husbands

293 Brothers

243 Grand Dads

Statistics

Omondi


Cervical Cancer in Kenya…

Cervical Cancer

New cases: 4,802No. of Deaths: 2,451Reported Annually

Age Standardized Rates [Incidence]:

40.5/100,000Number 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

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16298215?report=abstract

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

SmokingLung, Oropharynx, Stomach,

Esophageal, Liver, Cervical

Alcohol UseLiver, Esophageal, Breast

Mouth & Oropharynx

Reproductive Health Unsafe Sex, HPV Virus Cervix Uteri

Environmental

Risks

Urban Air Pollution

LungIndoor Household

Smoke – Use Of Coal

Risk Factor Cancer Site

Reproductive

Health Unsafe Sex | HPV Virus

Cervical

Cancer

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.


Change the Awareness Objectives

Awareness objectives- Demystify. - Lifestyle and 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/S0277539514001368

http://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.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277539514001368

http://archive.sph.harvard.edu/press-releases/archives/2005-releases/press11172005.html


spearheading cancer awareness by benda kithaka

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