South Sudan launches first cancer registry after years of relying on foreign data

South Sudan has inaugurated its first population-based cancer registry at Juba Teaching Hospital, beginning efforts to collect locally generated cancer data after years of relying on estimates informed by neighboring countries. The initiative is expected to help health authorities understand cancer patterns and improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment planning.

Caretaker Minister of Health Dak Duop Bichok cited estimates of 8,124 new cancer cases, 5,128 cancer-related deaths and 11,645 people living with cancer over a five-year period. He cautioned that the figures were modelled estimates rather than comprehensive records collected directly from patients in South Sudan. “If we do not know the true extent of the problem, it becomes difficult to respond to it effectively,” Bichok said.

The registry will provide a system for documenting cancer cases and generating information to guide national health policies, resource allocation and cancer control programmes. Dr. Mutale Senkwe, WHO representative, said the organization would support the initiative through equipment, technical assistance and capacity building, adding that reliable data would inform prevention, early detection, treatment and palliative care.

Dr. Aker Bol, a medical doctor in Juba Teaching Hospital’s Department of Oncology, said cancer cases had been diagnosed and treated without a comprehensive system for recording them. She said the registry would help establish which cancer types are common and identify the populations most affected.

Hospital Director General Dr. Anthony Lupai welcomed the initiative but called for a dedicated cancer treatment center, saying many patients cannot afford referrals to Uganda’s Mulago Hospital. “We need not only to be registering. We need to be giving the services while we register,” Lupai said.

Undersecretary Dr. Chol Makur pledged continued government support for Juba Teaching Hospital, while Dr. Albino Amum said the registry would enable South Sudan to collect information directly from its own cancer patients.

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South Sudan launches first cancer registry after years of relying on foreign data

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