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The hidden danger of recurrence: Why cervical cancer keeps coming back
Judy Wanyoike, who is battling cervical cancer, during an interview at her house in Dandora, Nairobi on November 3,2025.
What you need to know:
- One of the primary reasons for frequent cervical cancer recurrence is late diagnosis.
- In Kenya, a majority of cases—about two-thirds—are detected only at advanced stages, when treatment options are both limited and less effective.
In 2011, Judy Wanyoike, then 38, began experiencing persistent back pain and occasional vaginal bleeding, symptoms she couldn't connect to any illness she knew.
Like many Kenyan women juggling family and work, the mother of three dismissed the symptoms, hoping they would fade. They did not. The symptoms lingered for months, slowly tightening their grip.
A year later, her world was turned upside down. After attending a church seminar in Naivasha in 2012, where a free pap smear was offered, she received a life-changing referral. Tests at Kenyatta National Hospital confirmed a stage 2B cervical cancer diagnosis.
The diagnosis forced her into a whirlwind of aggressive treatment, first a hysterectomy to remove her uterus, followed by cycles of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and brachytherapy, a highly targeted internal radiation procedure. The treatment was emotionally, physically, and financially draining, but slowly, she began to recover.
By 2014, she felt hopeful again, believing that survived the worst. But as she would find out later, that was not the case. In 2019, seven years after her first diagnosis, Judy faced a grim recurrence.
“It started with an embarrassing symptom. I couldn’t go for a long call, and so doctors recommended another round of brachytherapy.”
By September, the tumour’s obstruction had grown so severe that she could no longer even pass gas, forcing urgent surgery to remove the growth; later confirmed as cancerous.
Following the operation, she endured yet another exhausting cycle of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, a regimen that finally concluded in April 2020.
For two years, she strained to rebuild her life once more. Then, in 2022, the cancer returned for a third time. This time, the pain crept from her lower back up her spine, coiling itself around her neck.
“I had to go through four more chemotherapy sessions,” she says. The treatments have since been paused, and she underwent a PET scan in August to help determine the next course of action. She adds that she is still trying to raise the funds needed to pay for the test results
According to Dr Catherine Nyongesa, a clinical oncologist, Judy's story of recurrence is, tragically, not uncommon, especially for those diagnosed at advanced stages.
"Cervical cancer rarely presents with signs when it’s early. The disease is often silent initially," Dr Nyongesa explains. "By the time symptoms like vaginal bleeding, discharge, back pain, or changes in bowel habits appear, the cancer is often already advancing."
The subtlety of early-stage disease means many women unknowingly live with cancer for months or even years before clear symptoms emerge. “Indicators like vaginal bleeding, discharge, lower abdominal or back pain, post-coital bleeding, lower limb swelling, or changes in bowel habits typically appear only once the cancer is already advancing,” explains Dr. Nyongesa.
Dr Nyongesa explains that one of the primary reasons for frequent cervical cancer recurrence is late diagnosis. In Kenya, a majority of cases—about two-thirds—are detected only at advanced stages, when treatment options are both limited and less effective.
According to a 2023 study published by the National Library of Medicine and titled ‘Survival of Cervical Cancer Patients at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret’, most patients in western Kenya were diagnosed only at an advanced stage; typically after symptoms emerged. Consequently, survival outcomes were poor, with rates of just 57 per cent after one year and 45 per cent after two years.
This late detection is compounded by low screening rates. An analysis of the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (2022) indicates that only about 16.8 per cent of Kenyan women have ever undergone cervical cancer screening.
Dr Nyongesa explains that, despite growing awareness, significant obstacles continue to deter women from seeking cervical cancer screening. “These include fear of pain during the procedure, anxiety over a positive result, limited access to facilities, discomfort with male healthcare providers, past traumatic experiences with pelvic exams, and a simple lack of time; especially for working women and caregivers.”
Cost presents another critical barrier. “A Pap smear in Kenya can range from Sh1,000 in public hospitals to Sh10,000 in private facilities, depending on consultation and lab fees,” says Dr Nyongesa. “For many families surviving on less than Sh300 a day, this is simply unaffordable.”
