Photo by Aurimas Rimsa
Children in The Gambia
Researchers say they have published the most extensive data ever collected on childhood cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.
On the African continent, only South Africa operates a childhood cancer registry on the national level.
Researchers brought together data from 16 of the smaller, local registries, collecting this information for the first time and presenting it in an accessible format.
The data were published in ecancermedicalscience.
Examining the data in context allowed the researchers to notice trends in cancer incidence. For example, they found that, in Blantyre, Malawi’s second-largest city, the cumulative risk of a child developing Burkitt lymphoma is 2 in every thousand.
The researchers called this incidence “remarkable” and noted that the global research community is largely unaware of this.
“Everything starts with awareness,” said study author Cristina Stefan, global clinical leader of oncology for Roche Diagnostics International Ltd of Switzerland and director of the African Medical Research and Innovation Institute.
“It is highly necessary to publicize these data, which, at the moment, represent the best image of the malignant disease in children in the respective regions.”
The researchers also noted that factors such as the prevalence of malaria and the Epstein-Barr virus contribute to the unique epidemiology of childhood cancer in Africa.
“Our colleagues can learn that the patterns and distribution of cancers in Africa are totally different from Europe, and there is a need for further research into the roles of factors such as genetic predispositions and the influence of infections and other comorbidities in the evolution of cancer,” Dr Stefan said.
“We have learned many universal lessons about data collection as we prepared this work. Our hope is that the publication of this monograph will open the forums for future discussions and that the work will be referenced for the better understanding of cancer in children in Africa and used to improve outcomes for children affected there.”
