Blog

In a country devastated by cancer, a comprehensive cancer centre would seem the ultimate solution. In reality, it is only one piece of the care and treatment objective. Awareness and education, while seemingly basic, are proving to be essential in improving the lives of those who are suffering. The development of the KCMC Cancer Care Centre in Moshi means diagnosis and treatment of cancer are now possible in northern Tanzania. However, patients often arrive at the hospital in Moshi too late, many times at an incurable stage of cancer. Last year, 85 percent of the patients presenting for help at the Cancer Care Center were in stage III or IV. For those who’ve dedicated their lives to caring for the sick and suffering, this is an unbearable reality. The question that needed to be answered was “why?” Not surprising, the answer was simple. People living in this vast, desolate region were unaware. They didn’t understand cancer. They weren’t aware that early detection would increase their chances of living. They just didn’t know. To complicate matters, many health care workers in the region lacked significant knowledge of cancer and were not trained to facilitate referrals. There was a high need for raising cancer awareness in the population. That meant increasing knowledge about risk factors, symptoms and the possibility of treatment.

By Randy Hurley MD, cTropMed HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Cancer Care Centers Global Health Faculty, University of Minnesota Three cases were discussed at the May 2024 KCMC-FCCT tumor board. Only one case was presented in March 2024 and April 2024. All five cases are summarized below. A 64 year-old female

By Randy Hurley MD, cTropMed HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Cancer Care Centers Global Health Faculty, University of Minnesota September 20, 2023 The October tumor board was our first multidisciplinary neuro-oncology tumor board. Two cases of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) were discussed. Development of a neuro-oncology program at KCMC was the vision

By Randy Hurley MD, cTropMed HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Cancer Care Centers Global Health Faculty, University of Minnesota September 20, 2023 A single case of breast cancer was discussed at the September tumor board. A 52 year-old nulliparous woman with no family history of breast cancer presented with bloody nipple

By Randy Hurley MD, cTropMed HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Cancer Care Centers Global Health Faculty, University of Minnesota July 19, 2023 Again, very challenging cases were presented in July 2023. The first case involved a 24-year-old woman with a widely metastatic adenocarcinoma with papillary features with lung liver and lymph

By Randy Hurley MD, cTropMed HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Cancer Care Centers Global Health Faculty, University of Minnesota May 17, 2023 The virtual Tanzania-Minnesota tumor board for May 2023 was held last week. (A tumor board was not formally conducted in April 2023 because KCMC cancer center personnel were visiting

By Randy Hurley MD, cTropMed HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Cancer Care Centers Global Health Faculty, University of Minnesota April 14, 2023 February. A recurring theme continues to be the need for radiation therapy facilities at KCMC to provide adequate cancer care. A case of a 45-year-old man with a plasmacytoma

By Randy Hurley MD, cTropMed HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Cancer Care Centers Global Health Faculty, University of Minnesota January 18, 2023 In an earlier newsletter I shared the news that the Cancer Care Centre at KCMC had received a grant to develop cervical cancer screening capacity at district hospitals in

By Randy Hurley MD, cTropMed HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Cancer Care Centers Global Health Faculty, University of Minnesota January 18, 2023 Five cases were presented at the January tumor board that continue to show the complexity of cases challenging the oncologists at KCMC. Two of the cases involved multiple primary

By Randy Hurley MD, cTropMed HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Cancer Care Centers Global Health Faculty, University of Minnesota November 16, 2022 Our November tumor board was held on Wednesday 11/16/22. Three cases were presented, two of which required neurosurgery expertise and therefore neurosurgeons from the University of Minnesota participated.

By Randy Hurley MD, cTropMed HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Cancer Care Centers Global Health Faculty, University of Minnesota October 26, 2022 Three cases were reviewed at the October tumor board video conference: a case of locally advanced acral melanoma, a case of esophageal cancer in a 15-year-old and a case

By Randy Hurley MD, cTropMed HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Cancer Care Centers Global Health Faculty, University of Minnesota September 27, 2022 Two cases were discussed at the KCMC-Minnesota tumor board this month The first case was a 60-year-old woman with a locally advanced breast cancer manifesting as a 5cm breast

By Randy Hurley MD, cTropMed HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Cancer Care Centers Global Health Faculty, University of Minnesota August 17, 2022 Two complicated cancer cases were discussed at this month’s tumor board. The first case was a 7-year-old girl with a large 22cm tumor mass involving the right humerus and

By Randy Hurley MD, cTropMed HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Cancer Care Centers Global Health Faculty, University of Minnesota July 20, 2022 At this month’s tumor board, three advanced and complicated cancer cases were presented, CT and MRI scans reviewed and plans of care discussed. After the hour-long meeting, we were

By Randy Hurley MD, cTropMed HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Cancer Care Centers Global Health Faculty, University of Minnesota May 19, 2022 Three Tanzanian cases were discussed during the KCMC-Minnesota multidisciplinary tumor board today that all required surgical oncology input. Three surgical oncologists, in addition to medical and radiation oncologists from

By Randy Hurley MD, cTropMed HealthPartners and Regions Hospital Cancer Care Centers Global Health Faculty, University of Minnesota May 16, 2022 Using video conferencing techniques, the first of a planned monthly multidisciplinary tumor board was held Wednesday morning April 20th, 2022, at 7am Minnesota time (3pm Tanzania time). Medical and