This review identifies barriers to effective disease management and discusses the current and future cancer burden across the African continent for non-specialist readers and those seeking to understand oncological care in Africa.
Abstract
Currently, cancer represents an escalating public health crisis in Africa, ranking as the continent’s fifth leading cause of mortality. According to recent GLOBOCAN 2022 estimates, approximately 1.15 million new cancer cases and 754,500 deaths occurred across Africa in that year alone. On a global scale, there were an estimated 20 million new cases and 9.7 million deaths in 2022, with a disproportionate burden falling on underserved regions. Low- and middle-income countries are projected to account for nearly 75% of global cancer deaths, highlighting a stark geographical inequity in access to timely diagnosis and comprehensive care. This review provides an inclusive presentation of the two most prevalent reproductive malignancies in Africa: prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. Set against the backdrop of the continent’s unique socioeconomic landscape, the article explores the complex interplay of prevalence and risk factors, ranging from genetic and phenotypic predispositions to environmental and epigenetic influences. Recognizing the diverse healthcare landscape in Africa, this work addresses the accessibility of conventional medicine while evaluating the supervised integration of potential herbal agents as complementary therapies. This review identifies barriers to effective disease management and discusses the current and future cancer burden across the African continent for non-specialist readers and those seeking to understand oncological care in Africa. Ultimately, the findings underscore an urgent need for targeted policy-making and strategic investment in prevention. Prioritizing timely screening and strengthening treatment infrastructure are essential steps for authorities to mitigate the surging cancer burden and maintain the health of African populations.
Abstract Childhood cancer represents an increasingly recognized priority in global health, with the World Health Organization’s Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer aiming to achieve 60% survival for six index cancers by 2030. In Nigeria, leukemia and lymphoma constitute a substantial proportion of pediatric malignancies, yet outcomes remain dramatically poorer than in high-income countries. This review examines the current state of childhood leukemia and lymphoma in Nigeria, synthesizing available epidemiological data, discussing unique biological features, and analyzing the multifactorial challenges that perpetuate poor survival. Treatment abandonment exceeds 37%, mortality approaches 32%, and critical infrastructure gaps—including limited radiotherapy access, absence of bone marrow transplantation, and inadequate diagnostic capacity—compound the problem. The WHO’s interventions through the Global Initiative and technical support for registry development offer frameworks for progress. Future perspectives emphasize the necessity of population-based cancer registries, expanded health insurance coverage, investment in regional diagnostic and treatment centers, and sustainable financing mechanisms to bridge the survival gap.
O. Izuegbuna· Pediatric Hematology & Oncol...· 0 citations
The study indicates that skin cancer remains an important public health issue worldwide and countries and regions should attach great importance to the prevention and treatment of skin cancers, and develop and improve preventive measures.
Light is shed on the prevalence of cancer in Somalia and the dire need for accessible and affordable oncology services in Somalia and the urgent to need to establish national or population-based cancer registries to determine cancer incidence, identify risk factors, and create national plan for cancer prevention, control, and treatment.
Gynecologic malignancies-including cervical, endometrial, ovarian, vaginal, and vulvar cancers-represent a major and largely preventable source of mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In 2022, an estimated 1.47 million new cases and over 680,000 deaths were reported globally, with mortality disproportionately concentrated in resource-constrained settings. The survival gap between LMICs and high-income countries (HICs) remains profound, reflecting systemic policy and health system failures in prevention, early detection, and access to treatment. This narrative review synthesizes evidence from PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and World Health Organization (WHO) databases, prioritizing literature published between January 2015 and December 2024, with a focus on epidemiology, health system constraints, and policy-relevant interventions. LMICs account for approximately 94% of global cervical cancer deaths, with the highest mortality observed in East Africa (age-standardized mortality rate 35.3 per 100,000). Persistent survival disparities are driven by late-stage diagnosis, limited screening coverage, inadequate radiotherapy infrastructure, workforce shortages, and restricted access to essential and novel therapies. However, evidence demonstrates that cost-effective and scalable interventions-including single-dose human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, screen-and-treat strategies, HPV self-sampling, task-shifting models, and international training partnerships-can substantially improve outcomes when embedded within national cancer control policies and supported by sustainable financing mechanisms. Reducing these inequities requires policy-driven, system-level reforms that prioritize prevention, strengthen service delivery, and expand equitable access to care, aligning national strategies with global frameworks such as the WHO 90-70-90 targets to achieve sustainable cancer control in LMICs.
Dewi Setiawati, Wachyudi Muchsin, Alfi Sophan· Cancer· 0 citations
Background. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Its burden is increasingly shifting toward middle-income countries, including Kazakhstan, where CRC has become one of the leading malignancies. A comprehensive synthesis of Kazakhstan’s epidemiological profile within the global CRC context has been lacking.
Objective. To review the global epidemiology of colorectal cancer and evaluate current incidence, mortality, screening, and survival trends in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Methods. A narrative review with systematic elements integrated international evidence from IARC/GLOBOCAN 2020 and 2022, the Global Burden of Disease 2019 and 2021, and other authoritative global sources with Kazakhstan-specific data on cancer registration, screening, survival, and behavioral factors published between 2001 and 2025. PubMed/PMC, IARC Cancer Today, WHO NCD Country Profiles, and reports from the Kazakhstan Ministry of Healthcare were searched between March 2024 and February 2026.
Results. Globally, CRC accounted for approximately 1.93 million new cases and 935,000 deaths in 2020. Although age-standardized rates have declined in many high-income countries, the absolute burden continues to increase because of population growth and aging. In Kazakhstan, crude CRC incidence increased from 14.79 to 17.72 per 100,000 between 2009 and 2018, whereas crude mortality declined from 11.2 to 7.7 per 100,000. Following the introduction of organized screening in 2011, early-stage (I–II) detection increased from 35.0% to 67.4%, while stage III and IV disease decreased. Survival analysis of 37,871 patients diagnosed during 2014–2023 identified older age and greater comorbidity burden as major predictors of poorer outcomes. Screening coverage exceeded 95% in 2021–2022 before declining to 68.5% in 2023, suggesting post-pandemic disruption and possible overestimation of administrative coverage. Kazakhstan’s mortality-to-incidence ratio (~0.56) remains higher than that reported in established East Asian screening programs.
Conclusions. Kazakhstan demonstrates the characteristic CRC epidemiological transition of rising incidence accompanied by slower mortality reduction. Organized screening has improved stage distribution; however, further gains require strengthened screening participation, transparent reporting, timely treatment, and sustained implementation of evidence-based cancer control strategies.
Keywords: colorectal cancer; epidemiology; incidence; mortality; Kazakhstan; screening.
Zhanar Orazbekova· Journal of Health Developmen...· 0 citations
Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. This study was aimed at estimating regional and national variations in lifetime CRC risk worldwide. Methods: CRC data were extracted from GLOBOCAN 2022, including 185 countries, and population and all-cause mortality data were sourced from the United Nations. The world was divided into 20 geographical regions and categorized by Human Development Index (HDI). Lifetime CRC risk was estimated with the life table method, adjusted for multiple primary cancers. Results: In 2022, the lifetime risks of developing and dying from CRC were 2.69% [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.68–2.70] and 1.39% (95% CI: 1.39–1.40), respectively. Men had a higher risk of colon cancer than rectal cancer, and higher CRC risk than women. Lifetime risk varied by region and HDI: regions with very high, high, moderate, and low HDI had incidence risks of 5.17%, 2.75%, 0.72%, and 0.57%, respectively, and mortality risks of 2.48%, 1.50%, 0.44%, and 0.41%, respectively. Australia/New Zealand had the highest incidence risk (7.41%, 95% CI: 7.30–7.52), and Northern Europe the highest mortality risk (3.28%, 95% CI: 3.24–3.32). Risks were stable before 40 years of age, peaked in middle age, and declined after 70 years of age. Temporally, Thailand had the highest increasing trend in lifetime risk, whereas the United States and Austria showed a decreasing trend. Conclusions: Lifetime CRC risk differs by subtype, sex, HDI, and geography, and residual risk gradually decreases with age. Targeted primary prevention strategies should be implemented in various countries and regions to mitigate CRC burden.
Li Li, K. Sun, Xiang Li et al.· Cancer Biology and Medicine· 0 citations
