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A cancer diagnosis can change a life in an instant, but in Rwanda, access to treatment was once so limited that many patients had little chance of survival. A centre established in 2012 helped change that reality, bringing cancer treatment, medical training and research to a country where specialist care was scarce.
Race car driver Jeff Gordon’s foundation contributed to the opening of the Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence, an initiative that has since treated more than 18,000 patients. According to Harvard Medicine Magazine, which documented the centre’s development in May 2025, the facility has also helped strengthen cancer screening programmes and train healthcare professionals, demonstrating how locally delivered care can expand access to treatment in resource-limited settings.
Why Rwanda needed a dedicated cancer centre
When Rwanda began developing its cancer treatment infrastructure in 2011, the country faced a serious shortage of specialist services. According to the Harvard Medicine report, there were no medical oncologists or radiotherapy facilities at the time, and pathology services were limited. Doctors struggled to provide sustained treatment to patients, including children with cancer. Cyprien Shyirambere, a paediatrician who later became the oncology director for Partners In Health in Rwanda, recalled seeing young patients who could receive enough chemotherapy to enter remission temporarily but could not access the continued care they needed.
Recognising this gap, the Rwandan government invited Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center and Partners In Health (PIH) to collaborate on establishing a comprehensive cancer centre in Butaro, in the Northern Province. The initiative aimed to create the first centre of its kind in East Africa. The project built on PIH’s existing work in Rwanda, where the organisation had been supporting healthcare services since 2005.
Jeff Gordon’s foundation was among the contributors to the cancer centre’s opening, alongside the wider partnership involving medical institutions, local healthcare professionals and the Rwandan government.
How the Butaro centre changed cancer care
The Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence opened in 2012. More than 1,000 patients received treatment during its first year, and the centre had seen over 18,000 patients by the time Harvard Medicine reported on its progress in 2025.
The transformation involved more than constructing a medical facility. The team worked to establish the systems needed to diagnose and treat cancer, including clinical protocols, surgical capabilities and training for local staff.Initially, the centre lacked pathologists who could process biopsy samples locally. Tissue samples had to be sent to Boston for processing and examination. Over time, healthcare workers received specialist training, allowing the centre to develop its own pathology capacity.
By 2025, two histopathologists were working on site, and around 90% of samples were being read in Butaro. The centre also developed regular discussions among specialists to review complex cases and support continuing medical education.
These efforts helped build local expertise rather than relying entirely on visiting doctors.
Research helped improve early diagnosis
Cancer treatment depends not only on access to medicines but also on identifying the disease early enough for treatment to be effective.
Research conducted by Lydia Pace and her colleagues identified significant delays in diagnosing breast cancer in Rwanda. One early study found that women experienced delays of around 15 months between noticing symptoms and receiving a diagnosis.Limited awareness, concerns about treatment costs and the practical difficulties of attending appointments contributed to the problem. Specialist diagnostic resources, including mammography machines and radiologists, were also scarce.
To address these barriers, clinicians developed a programme that trained general practitioners, nurses and midwives to use ultrasound for breast cancer assessment. The approach helped expand access to diagnostic services without requiring specialist radiologists at every location.According to the Harvard report, the Rwandan government subsequently expanded the early-diagnosis programme to cover 60% of the country's districts.
The broader importance of the project is also reflected in a 2020 review published in the journal Cancer Control, titled State of Cancer Control in Rwanda: Past, Present, and Future Opportunities. The paper describes Rwanda’s progress in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment, while highlighting the continuing need to strengthen national cancer services.
Progress continues, but challenges remain
The centre’s achievements have not eliminated the difficulties associated with cancer treatment in Rwanda.
High drug costs, delays in diagnosis and treatment, and shortages of specialist surgeons continue to affect outcomes. The Harvard report noted that the survival rate for Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Rwanda had risen to approximately 50%, compared with around 90% in the United States, illustrating both the progress made and the gap that remains.Funding is another concern. Research, training and healthcare initiatives have received support from international partners and government programmes, making long-term sustainability an important consideration.
Nevertheless, the Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence has demonstrated how partnerships can help build healthcare capacity where specialist services were previously limited. Its contribution extends beyond the patients treated within its walls to the clinicians trained, diagnostic programmes developed and lessons that can inform cancer care elsewhere.Jeff Gordon’s foundation helped support the centre’s opening, but its continuing work reflects a broader collective effort. More than a decade after it opened, Butaro stands as an example of how sustained investment in local expertise, research and accessible treatment can change the possibilities available to people facing cancer.