Abstract
Despite the growing burden of cancer worldwide, it continues to receive low priority in Africa, across the continent and specifically in Sudan. This is due to political unrest, limited health resources, and other pressing public health issues such as infectious diseases. Lack of awareness about the magnitude of the current and future cancer burden among policy makers play a major role as well. Although, the real scope of cancer in Sudan is not known, the reported cases have increased from 303 in 1967–6303 in 2010. According to Globocan estimates, the top most common cancers in both sexes are breast, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia, esophagus, and colorectum. This review is the first of four papers that focuses on cancer, its distribution and trend as well as the risk factors most common in Sudan. It is expected that cancer will increase in Sudan as a result of migration of people from rural areas to urban cities in the pursuit of a better standard of living, which has resulted in lifestyle and behavioral changes that include tobacco chewing and smoking, unhealthy dieting, and a lack of physical activity. These changes are further exacerbated by the aging population and have made the country vulnerable to many diseases including cancer. These reviews are meant to provide a better understanding and knowledge required to plan appropriate cancer-control and prevention strategies in the country.
Highlights
IntroductionAn estimated 12.7 million new cancer cases occurred in 2008, of which about 715,000 new cancer cases resulted in 542,000 deaths in Africa [1]
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide
Genotyping C325G in ESR1 in breast cancer patients (n = 100) in comparison to healthy controls (n = 90) revealed a significant association of breast cancer risk in women 50 years and younger who had the C allele (OR: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.104.72) (P = 0.03) suggesting that polymorphism within the low penetrance ESR1 is associated with breast cancer susceptibility in young Sudanese women [31]
Summary
An estimated 12.7 million new cancer cases occurred in 2008, of which about 715,000 new cancer cases resulted in 542,000 deaths in Africa [1]. These numbers are projected to nearly double to 1.28 million new cancer cases and 970,000 cancer deaths by the year 2030 This increase in cancer cases in Africa is attributed to both aging and population growth, and adoption of lifestyles associated with economic development, such as smoking, unhealthy dieting, and a lack of physical activity [1, 2]. Cancer continues to receive low public health priority in Africa, in general across the continent and in Sudan. 62% of the population (37,195,000) 15 years and older in Sudan are literate, of those 79% live in urban areas while 51% of rural origin [3]. It expected to lead to a better understanding of the current status of cancer burden, distribution, and trend as well as cancer research in Sudan
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