Read more
Cancer has in recent times acquired an eerie omnipresence in the minds of our countrymen as they see all kinds of personalities, big and small go down with the disease. Many of those affected, particularly those with financial muscle run abroad for treatment unreferred, by and large deluding themselves that that way they are outpacing the witty crab. Some jump from one practitioner to another, and from one centre to another in search of the solution. They are at the centre of the universe and must shake off the little dirt sprinkled on them by the crab. One thing they are oblivious to is that cancer therapy is a long haul and cures are rare after four weeks of treatment abroad. The talks of 'we have cured you' are mere traps meant to entice even larger numbers.There are also those who resort to alternative therapies in the hope of avoiding conventional treatments like surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, molecularly targeted therapy or immunotherapy.
About the author
Nicholas Anthony Othieno-Abinya is a consultant medical oncologist at the Nairobi Hospital Cancer Centre. He was formerly Professor of Medicine at the University of Nairobi and Head of oncology at AgaKhan University Hospital, Nairobi. He is the author of ¿Drug Management of Haematologic Neoplasms¿ by Jomo Kenyatta Foundation, 2016.
