World Cancer Day 2026: Why Connected Systems Matter for Cancer Care

Stronger systems matter for cancer care in Kenya

Each cancer journey is unique, shaped by factors such as family, finances, geography and timing. This year’s World Cancer Day theme, United by Unique, highlights our shared responsibility to build systems that address individual needs. Effective policies provide funding, set guidelines and design adaptable systems for diverse patient experiences. By using these policy tools, policymakers can ensure care is tailored to each person’s circumstances.

In Kenya, the challenge in cancer care is rarely a lack of medical expertise. More often, it is what happens between facilities. Screening may take place in one location, diagnosis in another and treatment somewhere else entirely, without a reliable way to connect those steps. Patients wait. Referrals slow down. Some people never reach treatment, not because care does not exist, but because the system fails to support them throughout the journey.

Improving cancer outcomes requires more than awareness campaigns or isolated services. Connected health systems are necessary to keep patients visible, provide timely information to healthcare workers and reduce the risk of patients being lost in the process.

Connecting care across the cancer journey

Addressing fragmentation in cancer care is a crucial step toward delivering better outcomes. National stakeholders have invested in digital platforms to connect facilities, providers and patients. EMPOWER, developed in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute of Kenya, Roche and Savannah Global Health Institute, is designed to standardise and strengthen cancer care at a national scale. Broader adoption will require ongoing investment in infrastructure, training and supportive policies for integration into existing healthcare systems.

Savannah Informatics has contributed technical expertise to the design and digitisation of cancer care workflows. This includes translating national care pathways into digital processes, enabling real-time data capture at facilities and aligning the system with national reporting and surveillance requirements.

Much of this work occurs behind the scenes, but digital platforms need to transition from short-term pilots to routine clinical practice.

Shortening the wait for treatment

For many patients, the most challenging aspect of cancer care is the wait between diagnosis and treatment. Without coordinated care, this period can extend for months or even years.

Digital tracking and structured referrals have reduced wait times. In EMPOWER-supported pathways, the average time from diagnosis to treatment has decreased from 18–24 months to about 3–6 months for participating women. So far, 3,225 women have received treatment through these pathways. Compared to national figures, where many wait over two years, this demonstrates significant progress in reducing delays and improving access. With over 48,000 new cancer cases reported annually in Kenya, these results highlight the potential of digital systems like EMPOWER to address systemic gaps.

The platform has enabled more than 700 women with HER2-positive breast cancer to access Herceptin SC at no out-of-pocket cost through public funding. This ensures that financial ability does not determine access to life-saving treatment.

Building systems that can grow and endure

This progress is the result of earlier groundwork. Initial phases established 19 specialised clinics and screened over 132,000 women for breast and cervical cancer. More than 1,400 women accessed treatment during this period, demonstrating the benefits of coordinated care.

Sustaining momentum requires more than technology. Systems must be maintained, improved and adapted as clinical practice and policy change. Savannah Informatics continues to strengthen data architecture, usability and interoperability to ensure ongoing value. Securing funding and aligning policy support are essential. Partnerships with government, donors and the private sector can help establish a sustainable financial model for continued growth and support of cancer care systems.

Data that serves people, not just reports

Each data point represents a person navigating the care system. Reliable data flow from clinics to decision-makers reveals where patients face long waits, where services are overstretched and where support is needed.

Well-integrated cancer data supports stronger registries, better planning and more informed decisions at the county and national levels. EMPOWER has pathways to integrate with national health information systems, which will ensure that cancer data strengthens registries, planning and decision-making at both the county and national levels. This integration will align efforts with broader health strategies, support informed policymaking and enable health workers to act earlier when care is most effective by ensuring no one is left to navigate the system alone.

On this World Cancer Day, United by Unique is more than just a theme. It is a reminder that people-centred cancer care depends on systems designed to respond to individual journeys. Strengthening the digital foundations of cancer care is one part of that work and an essential one.