Report of the Premier African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer Virtual Genomics Conference held from 18-20 February 2021.

Hannah Ng Ayettey Anie,Folakemi T Odedina,Belmira Rodrigues,Lavender Nyoni,Pedro Fernandez,Solomon O Rotimi,Skye Wilson,Khatija Osman,Lisa Newman,Nwamaka Lasebikan,Omolara Aminat Fatiregun

doi:10.3332/ecancer.2021.1253

Hannah Ng Ayettey Anie, Folakemi T Odedina + Show 9 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2021.1253

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Journal: Ecancermedicalscience	Publication Date: Jun 21, 2021
Citations: 2	License type: cc-by

Abstract

The rapidly rising cancer burden and mortality rate in Africa are in contrast to the increase in cancer survivorship in Europe and North America. Genomic medicine has contributed to the rise in survival and has facilitated precision cancer control. However, there is a shortage of African representation in genomic databases, even for cancers that disproportionately affect Africans. To improve this outlook and address research in genomics and genetics relevant to Africa and people of African descent, the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), under the Research Committee’s auspices, organised the Cancer Genomic Conference. The conference aimed to develop a roadmap for cancer genomics research to control the continent’s increasing cancer burden. Presentations at the conference revealed that: (1) Africa is made up of a highly heterogeneous group of people with diverse ethnic groups, (2) Very few African countries have been the focus of cancer genomics research, (3) Cancer exacts a heavy burden on global populations across the African diaspora with obvious genetic variants and cancer disparities and (4) There are differences in the contribution of genetics by race or ancestry and these differences are likely due to evolutionary genetics, contextual factors and genomic architecture. The importance of data security, ethics and integrity of the African genomics data was emphasised. The implementation of the conference highlights will provide the bedrock for pharmacogenomics to guide treatment decisions for cancer in Africa. The conference concluded with the formation of an AORTIC Special Interest Group on cancer genomics. It is the goal of this group to drive the implementation of this Conference’s outcomes.

Highlights

Africa faces a unique and rapidly rising cancer burden, with incidence and mortality projected to double by 2040 [1]. This rapidly growing mortality rate in Africa contrasts with the increase in cancer survivorship in Europe and North America [2]
Professor Odedina, in her concluding comments, said that ‘All roads lead to Africa for genetics’, noting that studying populations of African descent was about Africa but the whole world, underscoring the importance of human variation, the evolutionary history of variants and the heritability and genetic architecture of complex diseases like cancer resulting in the development of a new clinical tool for diverse populations
Day 1 conference proceedings ended with a series of pre-recorded oral abstract presentations. These focused on basic science, translational and clinical research in genomics, bringing out the critical importance of cancer research in African populations and studying genetic diversity, as well as the power of international partnership and sharing of technology and resources

Summary

Introduction

Africa faces a unique and rapidly rising cancer burden, with incidence and mortality projected to double by 2040 [1]. Professor Odedina, in her concluding comments, said that ‘All roads lead to Africa for genetics’, noting that studying populations of African descent was about Africa but the whole world, underscoring the importance of human variation, the evolutionary history of variants and the heritability and genetic architecture of complex diseases like cancer resulting in the development of a new clinical tool for diverse populations.

Results

Conclusion