Cancer screening is a must!

NEWS Of Fourth Republican President Rupiah Banda undergoing colon cancer treatment has once again raised the importance of cancer screening.It has been said that discovering cancer in the early stages leads to better treatment outcomes.The former President had seen cancer take his first wife and his current wife survived cancer in the recent past.The journey […]

Cancer screening is a must!
NEWS Of Fourth Republican President Rupiah Banda undergoing colon cancer treatment has once again raised the importance of cancer screening.It has been said that discovering cancer in the early stages leads to better treatment outcomes.The former President had seen cancer take his first wife and his current wife survived cancer in the recent past.The journey between diagnosis and treatment varies from person to person and unfortunately cancer has no respect of age nor status. Anyone can be a cancer patient.Lusaka houses the Cancer Diseases Hospital where most cases are referred to but Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya recently disclosed that Livingstone would next year see the start of the construction for the first ever Cancer Diseases Hospital in the tourist capital.Dr. Chilufya reiterated Government’s resolve to further strengthen border health services for Kazungula and Livingstone districts to prevent the importation of Covid-19 cases. The minister was speaking today when he toured Livingstone and Kazungula districts to check on the compliance levels to the Covid-19 prevention protocols in the two border towns.And Dr. Chilufya said the Livingstone Central Hospital is a hub of health care delivery in the southern region and that government is committed to enhance service delivery in the Tourist Capital.He said to avoid leaving anyone behind and to pursue universal health coverage, Livingstone will be the host of the planned new cancer diseases hospital.According to a report by the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, the health minister further said the construction of the facility will register another milestone in the transformation agenda of the Patriotic Front Government under President Edgar Lungu.Dr. Chilufya explained that the new hospital will reduce the distance patients cover from Livingstone and the surrounding areas to Lusaka to access cancer treatment.He said Livingstone has been attracting medical tourists and the new hospital will increase tourism activities which will not only boost the general health but also enhance the revenue stream for the community and nation at large.Government has over the past few years increased the number of health facilities across the districts to ensure that the Universal Health Coverage goal is achieved.Zambia is estimated to have the second-highest cervical cancer rate in the world and cancer screening is available at all health facilities for free, however, treatment is limited to Lusaka.With the growing knowledge around cancer, it is hoped that more people will talk openly about their experience with cancer.It is also encouraging to know that Zambia has the academic capacity to contribute to the cancer fight.Earlier in the year, a University of Zambia (UNZA) Lecturer and Researcher, Dr. Lubinda Mukololo announced that he had identified ways in which the process of cell division in cancer cells can be slowed down.In his ground-breaking research that has also received funding from The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Dr. Mukololo has identified key proteins whose depletion from cancer cells slows down DNA replication and cell growth.Dr. Mukololo who is a Lecturer and Researcher in the School of Medicine at UNZA’s Ridgeway campus, has found that specific proteins called PDS5A, PDS5B, ESCO1, and ESCO2 play an important role in DNA replication and cell division. Using scientific methods that include DNA combing, Dr. Mukololo has found that depletion of either PDS5A, PDS5B, ESCO1, or ESCO2 results in delay in DNA replication and a reduction in cancer cell growth.Dr. Mukololo says this discovery is important as it provides a novel insight into proteins that have the potential to form cancer drug targets.He adds that processes such as DNA replication and mitosis (cell division) are some of the crucial cellular events that are usually exploited in cancer drug design. “Halting DNA replication and cell division prevents the growth and spread of cancer. Limitless cell division is a contributing factor to the growth and spread of cancer in human bodies” Dr. Mukololo says.UNZA Vice Chancellor, Professor Luke Evuta Mumba congratulated Dr. Mukololo for showing commitment to the fight against cancer and receiving funding for his research from The World Academy of Sciences.Prof. Mumba says cancer is a fatal condition that needs urgent attention to combat through research. The VC adds that UNZA is proud that this kind of research is coming from one of its own.Cancer is a fatal condition that causes cells to divide uncontrollably forming tumors, impairing the immune system and/or causing other changes that prevent the body from functioning properly.It is important to remember to screen for Cancer to help with a positive outcome of treatment. The Sun