Dispatches from the Field: Transforming Breast Cancer Care in Rural Africa

Thursday, September 12, 2013

To a Ugandan woman, “a diagnosis of breast cancer is like a death sentence,” explains Kristen DeStigter, MD, Vice Chair of the Department of Radiology at Fletcher Allen.

Breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer in Ugandan women, with more than 75 percent of patients diagnosed with stage III or stage IV cancer.

DeStigter, the co-founder of Imaging the World (ITW), hopes her program can change that. ITW brings ultrasound training, technology, and telemedicine to rural parts of low-income countries, and promises cost-effective, sustainable breast cancer detection, remote diagnosis, and greater breast cancer awareness.

ITW was recently awarded $100,000 as part of a Grand Challenges Canada Stars in Global Health program, which funds bold new global health ideas.

We spoke with Dr. DeStigter and Dr. Alphonsus Matovu, chief executive officer and medical director at Kamuli Mission Hospital in Uganda, about the potential of the model.

Source: Fletcher Allen Health Care (link opens in a new window)

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Health Care