Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, 5 billion people lack access to safe surgical care, directly impacting care of cancer patients. Because 75% of cancer cases occur in the developing world, we sought to assess availability and utilization of educational resources for surgical cancer care among African surgical residency programs (SRP). METHODS: A pilot survey was sent in a single email distribution in October 2021 to all Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) SRP faculty and trainees. RESULTS: Of 275 surveys distributed to 11 SRP, 46 (16.7%) surveys from 9 countries were completed. Respondents included 25 (54.3%) faculty and 20 (43.5%) trainees with a median of 3 years (interquartile range 3.84) working or training at the institution. Forty-four (96.7%) reported need for advanced cancer training, 24 (52.2%) noted interest in pursuing advanced training, and 11 (23.9%) had access to such training. At least monthly, 11 (23.9%) experienced specialized surgical oncology (SO) education from visiting or long-term faculty, 17 (37.0%) had cancer-specific operative training, 23 (50%) had cancer-specific didactics, 24 (52.1%) used National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), European Society of Medical Oncology, or other national guidelines, and 24 (52%) used NCCN basic, core, or enhanced resources guidelines. Free text responses showed 5 (10.9%) comments reporting need for a surgical oncologist or SO training program to improve cancer care at their institution. CONCLUSION: These preliminary data reveal opportunities to augment education for cancer care in our limited sample of African SRP. Future research aimed toward developing sustainable advanced surgical oncology training is warranted.
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