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AAR Hospital has cut the cost of screening for select types of cancers by more than half, to mark the October Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The Kiambu-based level 5 private hospital has halved the cost of a mammogram to Sh2,500 from Sh5,000 while a breast ultrasound will cost Sh3,500 down from Sh6,000 during the period. “Breast cancer screening has been proven to increase chances of early diagnosis and improve on treatment outcomes and survival rates,” said AAR Hospital Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon, Dr Moki Mwendwa.
Additionally, AAR clients will this month get a free breast exam with every pap smear, whose cost has been slashed to Sh1,500 from the normal rate of Sh2,500. Pap smear is a procedure that involves collecting cells from the cervix to test for cervical cancer.
The HPV (Human Papillomavirus) test, also used to screen for cervical cancer, has been reduced by Sh1,000 to Sh7,200.
The cost of testing for prostate cancer, which involves checking the level of Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) in the blood, has been cut by more than half to Sh2,000 from Sh4,200 while the charges for Stool Occult Blood (Colorectal Cancer Screening) have been reduced from Sh1,100 to Sh900.
Breast cancer is the leading cancer in Kenya accounting for 16.1 percent of all cases; and the second cause of cancer deaths making it a focal point in the fight against non-communicable diseases.
Dr Mwendwa said it is recommended that women aged 40 to 55 undertake a mammogram every year, and a test every two years for those above 55 years.
“Breast ultrasound should be done as per the doctor’s request or based on the findings of the mammogram,” he said. Ranked as the third leading cause of death in Kenya, cancer is a major public health problem that places an immense burden on families.
Approximately 27,000 people in Kenya lose their lives to cancer each year and approximately 82,000 people are currently living with the disease.
The most common cancers are breast, cervical, prostate, oesophageal, and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, which together account for 48 percent of the country’s cancer burden.
Cervical and breast cancer, which affect women, account for 23 percent of all cancer deaths. Unfortunately, 70 to 80 percent of cancer cases are diagnosed at a late stage due to inadequate diagnostic and treatment facilities and the high cost of treatment.
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