WCF Cambodia

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Why Cambodia?

Cambodia is one of the poorest nations of the world where there has been a sharp increase in the incidence of Breast and Cervical cancer.

Majority of those afflicted with cancer present at advanced incurable stages of disease. A screening program for Breast and cervical cancer is not in place. 66% of Cambodians live on less than $1 a day and 35% of the total population live below the official rural and urban poverty lines of US$ 0.46 and US$

0.63 daily (respectively) (WHO, 2009). In some rural areas,the percentage of the population living below the poverty line is as high as 79.0% (WHO SIS, 2006; WHO 2009). The target population during the initial phase of implementation will include women living in the Phnom Penh metropolitan area (n= 1,060,000), but at later stages the project will expand to include additional referrals from provincial areas. Although readily treatable, cervical cancer remains the number one cause of cancer related death among Cambodian women-responsible for 38% of deaths.

Women who face breast cancer in Cambodia also confront disproportionately high mortality rates of 41%- 25% higher than in the United States- in large part due to poor awareness about early detection, the current lack of screening programs in the public sector, and the lack of affordable

treatment options (American Cancer Society, Cancer Statistics 2009). In fact, if paid out of pocket, breast cancer treatment in the public sector costs more than 4 times the average per capita annual income in Cambodia (World Bank, 2006).

Partner Institution:

Our partnership is with the Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope [http://www.sihosp.org] a charity hospital providing free medical care to the needy in Cambodia. The mission of the Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE worldwide is to provide a center for the further education and clinical training of medical professionals, while delivering 24-hour high-quality, free-of-charge medical care for the poor and disadvantaged in Cambodia. A link to an excellent article on the Sihanouk Hospital hope in the Washington Post

At the present time this hospital is receiving and treating patients in advanced stages of cancers. A review of 49 cases of breast cancer presenting in a one year period showed that over 75% were diagnosed in advanced stages with
a high mortality. Access barriers and low levels of awareness contribute to delayed treatment seeking and a profile of highly advanced cancer cases among women seeking care. For instance, Year 1 data on the TNM (Tumor, Nodes, & Metastasis) stages of breast cancer patients in the Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE’s cohort revealed localized, early stage forms of breast cancer among only 6% of new cases treated at the hospital.

The Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE remains the only hospital in all of Cambodia providing Breast Cancer screening, diagnosis, education, training and treatment free of charge to poor patients. Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE also houses the only laboratory in the country equipped to perform hormone receptor analysis for the evaluation of breast cancer in peri and post- menopausal patients, who represent an estimated 40% of the affected population locally.


Aerial view of the Sihanouk Hospital



Patient outreach program in Cambodia		Sonography examination at the Sihanouk Hospital



Woman’s Clinic		A patient ward at the Sihanouk Hospital



Community Education in Cambodia