Cancer and palliative care in COVID-19 and other challenging situations – highlights from the Uganda Cancer Institute – Palliative Care Association of Uganda 3rd Uganda Conference on Cancer and Palliative Care, 23–24 September 2021, held in Kampala, Uganda and virtually

Abstract

The 3rd Uganda Conference on Cancer and Palliative Care was held in September 2021 with the theme: cancer and palliative care in COVID-19 and other challenging situations. It was hosted by the Uganda Cancer Institute and the Palliative Care Association of Uganda (UCI-PCAU). The conference was held virtually, with a mix of pre-recorded sessions, plenary sessions being broadcast live on television (TV) by the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation TV, live speakers at the studio and others presenting in real time via Zoom. The conference brought together >350 participants who participated on Zoom, along with those attending in person at the studio and those watching the plenary sessions on TV. At the heart of this joint UCI-PCAU conference was the commitment to not only continue but to improve the provision of cancer care and palliative care within Uganda. Key themes from the conference included: the importance of Universal Health Coverage; the impact of COVID-19 on the provision of cancer and palliative care; that both cancer care and palliative care are available in Uganda; education for all; the importance of working together to provide care and overcome challenges, e.g. through technology; the resilience shown by those working in cancer and palliative care; the grief experienced by so many people who have lost loved ones during the pandemic; the importance of good health seeking behaviour – prevention is better than cure; the challenge of funding; the need for health care equity for marginalised and vulnerable populations and finally we can’t wait for the world to stop COVID-19 – COVID-19 is here to stay – we need to find solutions. The last few years have seen significant challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, despite this, cancer and palliative care service provision has continued. This conference, whilst unique and very different from previous conferences, was a great opportunity to share not only amongst each other, but also to share key messages with the public through the live broadcasting of the plenary sessions of the conference.

Scaling up availability, accessibility, quality and equity – highlights from the 4th Uganda conference on cancer and palliative care, held in Kampala, Uganda

“…The need for cancer and palliative care services is on the rise both globally, in East Africa and in Uganda. Since the 3rd Uganda Conference in 2021 [ 1 ] COVID restrictions on meetings have been lifted, thus this 4th Uganda Conference on Cancer and Palliative Care run jointly by the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) and the Palliative Care Association of Uganda (PCAU), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH), was held in-person at the Speke Resort, Munyonyo. Delegates had the opportunity to come together again after the pandemic and discuss issues around scaling up availability, accessibility, quality and equity in cancer and palliative care provision, applying lessons learnt throughout the pandemic.…”

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“…During the first day of the session, topics such as choosing wisely principles, pharmacology, radiotherapy, screening and detection, oncological surgery, precision medicine, pain therapy and oncology interventionism and clinical trials were touched upon. The second day of the conference was dedicated to breast cancer, addressing topics from the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2021, American Society of Radiotherapy Oncology (ASTRO) 2021 and topics of vital importance in breast cancer such as: surgery in breast cancer in advanced stages, treatment of breast cancer during pregnancy, treatment of male breast cancer, management of breast cancer with relapse only at the level of the central nervous system and neoadjuvant endocrine therapy, among others [2][3][4][5][6].…”

The double burden of COVID-19 and cancer at the Uganda Cancer Institute

“…6 Prior to COVID-19, many cancer facilities in LMICs were already strained; COVID-19 placed an unprecedented burden on these facilities. 7 In one study of oncology providers from 18 African countries, more than 75% of providers reported a decrease in patient volume, and one-third reported modifications of cancer treatment, resulting in treatment delays. 8 Cancer is increasingly diagnosed in Africa, with more than one million diagnoses annually.…”