Impacts of Stigmatization on Cancer Care in Uganda: A Narrative Review

Cancer outcomes in Uganda are shaped not only by biomedical factors but also by social meanings attached to cancer. Stigmatization, manifesting as blame, fear of contagion, moral judgement, and social exclusion—affects help seeking, disclosure, continuity of care, and psychosocial wellbeing. In Uganda, where cancer awareness is variable, diagnostic delays are common, specialist services are centralized, and out-of-pocket costs remain substantial, stigma can intensify barriers across the care pathway. This narrative review synthesizes evidence and contextual insights on how cancer-related stigma influences prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment adherence, palliative care, survivorship, and health system performance in Uganda. We propose a pathway-based conceptual model and summarize stigma-reduction and patient-centered interventions suitable for Ugandan settings, including community dialogue approaches, integration of psychosocial oncology, training for respectful communication, survivorship advocacy, and structural interventions that reduce financial toxicity. Addressing stigma should be treated as a core quality-of-care strategy to improve timely presentation, treatment completion, and patient dignity. Keywords: cancer stigma, Uganda, cancer care continuum, disclosure, adherence, psychosocial oncology, palliative care, health-seeking behavior.