March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. It is a reminder of a heartbreaking trend that oncologists like me are witnessing in our clinics: Last year, for the first time, colorectal cancer became the leading cause of cancer-related death in Americans under the age of 50, according to data published earlier this year in JAMA.
When our hematological malignancy testing pilot project began in Eldoret, Kenya, there seemed to be a mismatch in relation to progress in healthcare. The region, like much of sub-Saharan Africa, had been focusing on combatting infectious diseases such as HIV and malaria—which was much-needed—yet cancer care was under-resourced.
