African Organisation For Research And Training In Cancer Research Articles

Cervical cancer screening and treatment capacity: A survey of members of the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC)

BackgroundCervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in Africa, and in half of the sub-Saharan African countries, it is the most common cancer. Currently, there are scarce resources and limited infrastructure to support cervical cancer screening and treatment in many African countries. ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to investigate the capacity of cervical cancer screening and treatment among members of the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC). MethodsData were collected from 183 participants through online surveys over a 3-month study period in 2016. ResultsThe respondents reported large variations among different African countries. This study highlights the differences between African countries in the availability of screening programs as a result of the resources allocated to healthcare development. Radiation therapy capacity remained the most limited treatment modality available, followed by the lack of gynecologists or gynecologic oncologists who can perform radical hysterectomy. ConclusionsThis information is critical for physicians, public health educators, and policymakers aiming to improve the outcomes among women with cervical cancer in Africa.

Cancer Clinical Trials in Africa-An Untapped Opportunity: Recommendations From AORTIC 2019 Conference Special Interest Group in Clinical Trials.

Cancer is now a formidable health care burden in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) due to lifestyle westernization and longer life expectancy. The exponential increase in cancer incidence coupled with high mortality rate is not comparable with that seen in westernized countries. To address global cancer disparity, globalization of cancer clinical trials to involve sub-Saharan Africa can serve as a platform where innovative targeted therapies can be made available to patients in the environ. In the 2019 African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) conference held at Maputo, Mozambique, a group of clinical trialists spanning across multiple continents highlighted the opportunities in Africa for the conduct of cancer clinical trials. The secondary purpose of the meeting was to address the belief that Africa was incapable of conducting interventional cancer trials but showed the in-continent strengths, such as available capacities, trained local clinical trialists with clinical trial experiences, clinical trial consortia, local capabilities, mapping out logistics, ethical consideration, political will, real-time benefits of clinical trials to clinical practice, and future directions for trials.

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

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.

Faculty development: What do we know about barriers, enablers, and satisfaction levels among African oncology faculty?

11023 Background: Faculty development (FD) programs and initiatives have been shown to improve teaching, learning, and overall satisfaction levels of academic faculty. However, these benefits are not fully realized in resource constrained settings like those found in some Sub-Saharan African academic institutions, that often face many FD challenges. Improving FD activities in the region may enhance the capacity of oncology faculty to address these challenges. We sought to examine African oncology faculty’s satisfaction and the perceived enablers and barriers with current FD opportunities. Methods: We randomly surveyed oncology faculty ( n = 21) through the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) listserv and conducted semi-structured interviews with nine ( n = 9) faculty involved in African oncology training programs to ascertain their perspectives on faculty development activities including curriculum development, teaching, and learning. All survey respondents and interview participants are current members of the AORTIC. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, and thematic analysis were used to analyze the survey and interview data respectively. Results: Interim survey results revealed that 64% of academic oncology faculty believe that there are barriers to their FD at their current academic institutions. Barriers cited for FD from the interviews include the competitive nature of FD courses and programs, limited online learning opportunities, poor internet access, time constraints, language barriers, and high costs associated with FD activities. A significant minority of the survey respondents (43%) were dissatisfied with their overall FD. Access to curriculum development opportunities (χ2 = 10.97, p = 0.001) and longer duration of practice (χ2 = 7.9, p = 0.019) were significantly associated with an increased overall satisfaction with FD of oncology faculty. Themes emerging from the interviews also revealed that participants believe that addressing issues relating to access to local institutional support and opportunities including funding, reduced fees for individuals from low- and middle-income countries, getting time off work from local institution, and availability of online FD education will enable them to increase their participation in FD activities. Conclusions: A considerable number of African oncologists face many FD challenges and are therefore dissatisfied with the current state of their FD. Incorporating the recommendations offered by participants into faculty development planning activities may improve faculty satisfaction levels, remove barriers, and improve outcomes for learners. Also, the finding that access to curriculum development opportunities leads to increased levels of satisfaction with FD could guide FD for faculty in African oncology training programs.

Using advanced information and communication technologies to advance oncology education in Africa.

BackgroundRecent work has highlighted the tremendous potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in advancing global oncology education, research and care. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the development of effective approaches for online education even more crucial. Here we assessed the readiness, interest and potential models for effective implementation of ICT-powered oncology education in Africa.MethodsBuilding on previous work by the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), a survey was conducted to assess the electronic learning (e-Learning) readiness of oncology health professionals using an online self-assessment tool. Components of e-Learning readiness assessed include access to computers, Internet, appropriate bandwidth and interest. As a practical test model, an ICT resource-intensive radiation oncology training programme was implemented via the Global Oncology University (GO-U) collaborative education platform. An analysis of results, challenges and opportunities resulting from these is discussed for advancing online oncology education in Africa.ResultsThe survey showed over 92% of health professionals have access to computers, laptops or other technology that can allow them to participate in online education. Over 45% of oncology health professionals have already participated in some form of online education. Interest in online education was over 93%. Models for effective online learning in oncology include synchronous and asynchronous short-term courses for continuous education and long-term degree and residency programmes. There was a significant increase in skills level following the collaborative radiation oncology training model used by the GO-U platform.ConclusionAfrica has the capacity to implement successful e-Learning in oncology, which is consistent with findings in previous work such as the AORTIC. Greater investment by institutions and governments is needed in terms of resources and policy changes to facilitate the implementation of effective online oncology training. Purposeful engagement of diaspora oncology health professionals with relevant cultural backgrounds as with some current collaborative efforts is highly recommended in helping turn brain drain into brain circulation.

Multisector Collaborations and Global Oncology: The Only Way Forward

PURPOSEAt the 12th meeting of AORTIC (African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer) in Maputo, Mozambique, held between November 5 and November 8, 2019, a special workshop was organized to focus on the need for collaboration and coordination between governments and health systems in Africa with academic, industry, association, and other nongovernmental organizations to effect sustainable positive change for the care of patients with cancer.METHODSRepresentatives from seven different projects in Africa presented implementation science and demonstration projects of their to date efforts in cancer system improvement including patient access, South-South partnerships, in-country specialized training, palliative care consortium, treatment outcomes, and focused pathology and diagnostic capacity building. Key partners of the various projects served as moderators and commentators during the session.RESULTSFrom across all the presentations, lessons learned and exemplary evidence of the value of partnerships were gathered and summarized.CONCLUSIONThe concluding synthesis of the presentations determined that with the broad needs across cancer requiring in-depth expertise at each point on a patient’s journey, no single organization can effect change alone. Multipartner collaborations not only should be the norm but should also be coordinated so that efforts are not duplicated and maximum patient access to cancer diagnosis and care is achieved.

Choosing Wisely Africa: 10 low-value or harmful practices that should be avoided in cancer care.

e19213 Background: Choosing Wisely Africa, builds on Choosing Wisely (CW) in the USA, Canada and India, and aims to identify low-value, unnecessary, or harmful cancer practices that are frequently used on the African continent. Methods: The CWA Task Force was convened by African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) and included representatives in surgical, medical and radiation oncology, the private and public sectors and patient advocacy group. Consensus was built through a modified Delphi process shortening a long list of practices to a short list then to a final list. Results: Of the 10 practices on the final list, one is a new suggestion, 9 are revisions or adaptations of practices from previous CW campaign lists. One item relates to palliative care, 8 concern treatment, and 1 relates to surveillance. Conclusions: The success of this campaign will be measured by how the list is implemented across sub-Saharan Africa and whether it improves the delivery of high-quality cancer care. [Table: see text]

Cancer care workforce in Africa: perspectives from a global survey

BackgroundWhile the burden of cancer in Africa is rapidly rising, there is a lack of investment in healthcare professionals to deliver care. Here we report the results of a survey of systemic therapy workload of oncologists in Africa in comparison to oncologists in other countries.MethodsAn online survey was distributed through a snowball method via national oncology societies to chemotherapy-prescribing physicians in 65 countries. The survey was distributed within Africa through a network of physicians associated with the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC). Workload was measured as the annual number of new cancer patient consults seen per oncologist. Job satisfaction was ranked on a 10-point Likert scale; scores of 9–10 were considered to represent high job satisfaction.ResultsThirty-six oncologists from 18 countries in Africa and 1079 oncologists from 47 other countries completed the survey. Compared to oncologists from other countries, African oncologists were older (median age 51 vs 44 years, p = 0.007), more likely to prescribe chemotherapy and radiation [61% (22/36) vs 10% (108/1079), p < 0.001], less likely to have completed training in their home country [50% (18/36) vs 91% (979/1079), p < 0.001], and more likely to work in the private sector [47% (17/36) vs 34% (364/1079), p = 0.037]. The median number of annual consults per oncologist was 325 in Africa compared to175 in other countries. The proportion of oncologists seeing > 500 consults/year was 31% (11/36) in Africa compared to 12% (129/1079) in other countries (p = 0.001). African oncologists were more likely than global colleagues to see all cancer sites [72% (26/26) vs 24% (261/1079), p < 0.001]. Oncologists in Africa were less likely than other oncologists to have high job satisfaction [17% (6/36) vs 30% (314/1079), p = 0.013].ConclusionAfrican oncologists within the AORTIC network have a substantially higher clinical workload and lower job satisfaction than oncologists elsewhere in the world. There is an urgent need for governments and health systems to improve the oncologist-to-patient ratio and develop new models of capacity building, retention and skills enhancement to strengthen the wide variety of cancer care systems across continental Africa.

Impact of the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer on Improving Cancer Care on the Continent: 15-Year History

Background and context: African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) seeks to become the continent's preeminent nonprofit organization working for cancer control. Established in 1982, and gaining exponential momentum since 2003. Milestones achieved include placing cancer control on the continent's health agenda. Main activities have been to foster collaboration for research and training, advocacy, palliative and psychosocial care, survivor groups, educative meetings for local and international cancer care professionals. Strategy/Tactics: To demonstrate impact of AORTIC on the continent over the past one and a half decades as a successful nonprofit organization aimed at reducing impact of cancer in Africa. Position our organization to lead the continent with home grown innovation to sensitize the cancer workforce to needs of our patients and countries by developing strategies that impact on improving cancer care across the continuum, research priorities and capabilities, professional development, including advocacy, survivorship, acting as a consultative mouth piece and authority on cancer control needs of Africa. Program/Policy process: 11 successful international biennial cancer conferences in Africa, with a steady increase in attendance from 300 to +900 delegates, 12 to 95 sessions, +3000 abstracts presented over 15 years. Last meeting labeled as; “This meeting is high-value; at the level of the best oncology meetings as ASCO and ESMO”. Regional training in pathology, oncology, psycho-oncology, palliative care, advocacy, prevention and early diagnosis. Regional meetings: Senegal, Tanzania, Nigeria, Angola, Mozambique and Cape Verde. Special interest groups: radiation, pathology, nursing, pediatrics and advocacy promoting professional and research development activities. African cancer leadership mentoring academies for young investigators - +40 participants to date. Grants for qualifying members to participate in external training workshops. 39 newsletters - translated into French and Portuguese. Memberships - span across the African continent, Europe, North America and Australia and organizations - 500 individual and close to 20 organizational members. Hosted Africa regional meetings at UICC WCC since 2014. Active on social media - +1300 followers. Publications: Cancer Plan for the African Continent 2013-2017 Handbook for Cancer Research in Africa Cancer Advocacy Training Toolkit for Africa AORTIC Cancer Network Directory, plus an online map Journal articles and position papers - 12 Declarations - 2 Projects - cancer registry mapping Grants - Beginning investigator catalytic grants (BIG Cat), partner NCI (USA) +20 beneficiaries. What was learned: Through coordinated and concerted efforts, relevant stakeholders who can influence and improve cancer care on the continent through collaboration, research and training, AORTIC is a continental networking hub spanning the African continent of more than 13,000 contacts and is a major instrument of change in effective control of cancer in Africa.

Assessing trainee’s need and readiness for e-cancer education and training in Africa.

11012Background: As a prerequisite to launching a virtual education and training platform, the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) assessed the educational needs and e...

Jimmie Holland: The founder, developer, and the soul of the International Psycho-Oncology Society.

Jimmie Holland: The founder, developer, and the soul of the International Psycho-Oncology Society.

Africa And Cancer: Preparing For The Next Epidemic

It is my singular honour to deliver this guest lecture to a distinguished audience under the auspices of the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS). Essentially tagged first quarter lecture in 2012, it can be likened to a state of the Union Address to the nation through NAS. I am proud to be a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), the foremost scientific organization in Nigeria with the aim of promoting the growth, acquisition, and dissemination of scientific knowledge and to facilitate its use in solving of major problems of national interest. I am also aware that our President is likely, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR, to assume office as the next Chair of the African Union and have taken the liberty as President of the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) to deliver a sermon on Cancer to Africa on this occasion. I thank the President, Prof Oye Ibidapo-Obe FAS,and the entire fellows of the Academy for the honour bestowed on me. I also thank my Chairman, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, who graciously accepted to chair this occasion at such notice despite his busy schedule. Africa is the world’s second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. Africa with a landmass of about 30.2 million km2 (11.7 million sq mi) including adjacent islands, covers 6% of the Earth’s total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With 1.0 billion people in 65 territories (including 54 recognized states), it accounts for about 14.72% of the world’s human population. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean to the north, both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zone. Africa’s population is relatively young but has rapidly increased over the last 40 years. In some African states, half or more of the population is under 25 years of age. The total number of people in Africa grew from 221 million in 1950 to 1 billion in 2009.

African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer: position and vision for cancer research on the African Continent.

The African Organization for Research and training in Cancer (AORTIC) bases the following position statements on a critical appraisal of the state on cancer research and cancer care in Africa including information on the availability of data on cancer burden, screening and prevention for cancer in Africa, cancer care personnel, treatment modalities, and access to cancer care.

Pathology and oncology in Africa: education and training for the future in cancer research– East African Regional Meeting

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will increase globally, with the largest increase being on the African continent. On our continent, projections have indicated that deaths from NCDs will exceed all combined communicable, maternal, perinatal and nutritional diseases as the most common causes of death by 2030. Hence, the importance of a functional and improved pathology system in the diagnosis of cancer cannot be debated.Recently, the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) organised its East African regional meeting in Mwanza, Tanzania on 25–26 June 2015, with the focus being ‘Pathology and oncology: Education and training for the future in cancer research’. The main themes of the workshop were around improving cancer care and the role of twinning in Eastern Africa, in particular the Mwanza cancer project, telepathology, e-health and biobanking. The outcomes of a 2 day strategic meeting were developing an efficient and effective plan to guide the improvement in pathology training and cancer research in Africa.

Burkitt lymphoma research in East Africa: highlights from the 9(th) African organization for research and training in cancer conference held in Durban, South Africa in 2013.

A one-day workshop on Burkitt lymphoma (BL) was held at the 9th African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) conference in 2013 in Durban, South Africa. The workshop featured 15 plenary talks by delegates representing 13 institutions that either fund or implement research on BL targeting AORTIC delegates primarily interested in pediatric oncology. The main outcomes of the meeting were improved sharing of knowledge and experience about ongoing epidemiologic BL research, BL treatment in different settings, the role of cancer registries in cancer research, and opportunities for African scientists to publish in scientific journals. The idea of forming a consortium of BL to improve coordination, information sharing, accelerate discovery, dissemination, and translation of knowledge and to build capacity, while reducing redundant efforts was discussed. Here, we summarize the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Proceedings of the International Workshop on Cancer Advocacy for African Countries

Proceedings of the International Workshop on Cancer Advocacy for African Countries

The African cancer advocacy consortium: shaping the path for advocacy in Africa

Although there is significant evidence of a cancer epidemic in Africa, there is limited awareness about cancer in most African countries. By partnering with international organizations and institutions such as the University of Florida and the Prostate Net, the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) is committed to improving cancer advocacy in Africa. This paper presents some of the recent efforts on cancer advocacy in Africa, including the results of a SWOT analysis conducted for the cancer advocacy workshop and the guidelines developed by cancer advocates on best practices for cancer advocacy in Africa. One of the outcomes of these efforts is the African Cancer Advocates Consortium (ACAC) founded by cancer advocates in Africa to, “Make Cancer a Top Priority in Africa”. While we have started the work to strengthen cancer advocacy in Africa, we still have a long way to go. Our goal of making cancer a priority in Africa can mainly be achieved by: (1) increasing the manpower for cancer advocacy through education and training; and (2) strengthening the network of cancer advocates across the continent.

Advocacy resource: engaging the media and promoting your cancer program in Africa.

To address the need for a significant increase in cancer advocacy programs in Africa, the University of Florida (UF), the Prostate Net, and the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) co-hosted the first biennial International Workshop on Cancer Advocacy for African Countries (CAAC) on November 29, 2011, one-day prior to AORTIC’s 8th International Cancer Conference in Cairo, Egypt. Over 70 African cancer advocates representing about 12 African countries participated in this workshop.The primary goal of the one-day workshop was to inform, educate and empower African cancer advocates to increase the promotion of their cancer programs. The first half of the workshop consisted of five formal PowerPoint presentations focused on the following topics: (a) Understanding Your Community and Assessing your Community Health Assets and Needs; (b) Developing a successful advocacy model for your cancer program; (c) Developing a Relationship with your Elected Officials to Advocate Cancer-related Policies; (d) Engaging the Media and promoting your cancer program; and (e) Developing advocacy plans for sustainability. In this article we summarize the informational content given in the PowerPoint presentation entitled “Engaging the Media and promoting your cancer program”. The content given in this article is useful as a how-to guide for both the beginner and the experienced cancer advocate who wants to establish/promote a cancer awareness program.

Cancer in Africa: Bridging Science and Humanity

The African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) will be holding its 9th International Cancer Conference entitled “Cancer in Africa: Bridging Science and Humanity” at the Durban International Convention Centre from 21-24 November 2013.

The African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer: Historical Perspective

The African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (aortic) is a bilingual (English and French) nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of cancer control and palliation in Africa. Its mission in respect to cancer control in Africa includes support of research and training;provision of relevant and accurate information on the prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, and palliation of cancer;promotion of public awareness about cancer and reduction of the stigma associated with it.In seeking to achieve its goal of cancer control in Africa, aortic strives to unite the continent and to make a positive impact throughout the region by collaboration with health ministries and global cancer organizations. The organization's key objectives are to further research relating to cancers prevalent in Africa, to support training programs in oncology for health care workers, to deal with the challenges of creating cancer control and prevention programs, and to raise public awareness of cancer in Africa. It also plans to organize symposia, workshops, meetings, and conferences that support its mission.Founded in September 1982, aortic was active only between 1983 (when its inaugural conference was held in the City of Lome, Togo, West Africa) and the late 1980s. The organization subsequently became inactive and moribund. In 2000, a group of expatriate African physicians and scientists joined in an effort with their non-African friends and colleagues to reactivate the dormant organization. Since its reactivation, aortic has succeeded in putting cancer on the public health agenda in many African countries by highlighting Africa's urgent need for cancer control and by holding meetings every two years in various African cities. National and international cancer control organizations worldwide have recognized the challenges facing Africa and have joined in aortic's mission.