According to the study, researchers estimate that there will be 2.1 million new cancer cases and 1.4 million cancer-related deaths in Africa by 2040. The researchers noted that changes in diet and lifestyle, along with behavioral and environmental risk factors may contribute to the increase. The findings are insightful, as they shed light on critical needs and could help allocate resources. Researchers warn that unless action is taken to raise awareness, improve prevention and mitigate risk factors, these increases are likely to overwhelm healthcare capacity levels, delay cancer control and reduce treatment options. patients. “A growing crisis in cancer incidence and mortality in Africa requires urgent action – cancer awareness, prevention, control and treatment.” Dr. Paddy Ssentongo, Lead Researcher, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences The researchers collected information from the database of the World Cancer Observatory of the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The Internet system -? GLOBOCAN 2020 -; It includes data from 185 countries worldwide and provides incidence and mortality rates for 36 cancers in 2020. The researchers analyzed the incidence and mortality for each country of 34 cancers in 54 African countries. The study looked at patient demographics and the association between top cancers and socioeconomic status. The researchers explored healthcare infrastructure and used data from 2020 to predict the severity of cancer in Africa in 2040. According to the findings, Africa had 1.1 million new cases of cancer and 711,429 deaths from cancer in 2020. Researchers found that breast, cervical, prostate, colon and liver cancers were the top groups cancer in Africa. During this period, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa were among the top countries for cancer deaths. The study found that women were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and die than men in Africa. Among women, breast cancer was the leading cause of new cases of cancer and death, while prostate cancer was the leading cancer among men in 2020. Meanwhile, researchers found that colon cancer was at the top of the list. people in all 54 countries. The researchers say the data show that the majority of African countries are under-equipped to handle the growing demand for health care. Twenty-eight of the 43 countries surveyed had a cancer registry and less than half of the countries had cancer-related policies, strategies or action plans. To better prepare for the future, researchers suggest applying a multifaceted, holistic approach to cancer care. Based on the data, healthcare providers can improve patient outcomes through awareness campaigns, vaccines, prevention strategies, and expanding the capacity to treat cancer. “The disease landscape in Africa is undergoing significant changes, with increasing morbidity and mortality due to non-communicable diseases such as cancer, Westernized lifestyles, dietary changes and the escalation of behavioral and environmental risk factors,” he said. Sharma, Assistant Professor of Economics at the University School of Management and Entrepreneurship at Delhi University of Technology in India. “Cancer mortality rates in Africa are comparable or higher than in other parts of the world, requiring an integrated approach to cancer control and management, including, for example, raising cancer awareness, adopting primary and secondary prevention, mitigation of risk factors. improving the infrastructure for cancer and timely examination and treatment “. Penn State researchers Anna Ssentongo and Dr. John Oh contributed to this research. Claudio Fronterre from the University of Lancaster. Aashima, Mehak Nanda from Delhi University of Technology in India. Paul Sewagudde from Relife Family Medical Center in Uganda. Kelsey Yenney of Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. Dr. Nina Arhin from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. and Dr. Forster Amponsah-Manu from Eastern Regional Hospital in Ghana also contributed to this research. Researchers do not indicate a conflict of interest or specific funding for this research. Source: Penn State College of Medicine Magazine report: Sharma, R., et al. (2022) Cancer mapping in Africa: A comprehensive and comparable characterization of 34 cancers using estimates from GLOBOCAN 2020. Borders in Public Health. doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.839835.
