Rwanda has taken important steps to tackle preventable cancers nation-wide, a recent international assessment has found. This includes measures to improve cancer services, develop key governance documents and train oncology professionals. However, challenges remain to increase comprehensive cancer care access across the country.
The [imPACT review](/services/review-missions/impact-reviews), carried out by the IAEA, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and completed in January, evaluated Rwanda’s health system capacity and needs for cancer care and control.
“This review is very timely, since Rwanda is now launching its new National Cancer Control Plan 2025–2029 and Accelerated Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy,” said Claude Mambo Muvunyi, Director General of the Rwanda Biomedical Centre at the Ministry of Health. “Rwanda is continuously making strides towards enhancing cancer prevention and treatment services for its population."
With 7000 new diagnoses and over 4800 deaths every year, according to 2022 IARC figures, cancer is a growing health concern in Rwanda, driven in part by infectious diseases such as the human papillomavirus (HPV) virus. Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women, followed by breast and stomach cancers. In men, prostate cancer is the most frequent, followed by stomach and liver cancers.