University of Pretoria experts highlight urgent need for prevention to curb Africa's cancer crisis
Comprehensive study reveals severe burden among women and children, with breast and cervical cancer dominating cases.
More than 1.5 million new cancer cases and 923 000 deaths were recorded across Africa in 2023, according to research by the University of Pretoria. (UP)
Prof Zodwa Dlamini, founding director of the Pan African Cancer Research Institute (PACRI), and Dr Thulo Molefi, a specialist medical oncologist and PACRI associate director of clinical affairs at UP, said cancer across the continent can not be addressed through treatment alone.
Their call follows a comprehensive analysis published in The Lancet Oncology, which examined cancer trends across all 54 African countries.
The study assessed 48 types of cancer and estimated that they accounted for 33.9 million disability-adjusted life-years, with about 98% attributed to years of life lost.
The researchers said the findings highlighted the need for African countries to strengthen prevention and early detection alongside access to treatment.
”Prevention and early detection must become central pillars of the continent’s cancer strategy,” Dlamini and Molefi said.
Prof Thulo Molefi
The study estimated that 306 000 cancer deaths were attributable to 88 assessed risk factors. However, the researchers cautioned that this did not mean the remaining cancer burden was unavoidable, pointing to limitations in current risk-attribution models and exposures that are not fully captured.
They said greater investment in research could help identify how environmental exposures, genetics, infections, lifestyle and other factors interact to contribute to cancer.
Focus on African genetic diversity
The researchers highlighted the potential of emerging fields such as genomics, exposomics and multi-omics to improve understanding of cancer risk among African populations.
They argued that Africa’s genetic diversity, as well as its varied environmental, occupational, nutritional and social exposures, meant that cancer research should focus more closely on African populations rather than relying solely on risk models developed elsewhere.
The research also highlighted the heavy burden of cancer among women and young people. Breast and cervical cancer accounted for more than half of all new cancer cases among African women in 2023. An estimated 104 000 childhood cancer cases and 54 700 related deaths were recorded across the continent.
Dlamini and Molefi said prevention needed to be accompanied by earlier diagnosis and access to treatment. They called for an integrated approach linking primary prevention, screening, early detection, accurate diagnosis, surgery, radiotherapy, systemic treatment and palliative care.
In South Africa, the findings underline the importance of strengthening cancer surveillance and research capacity, while improving access to early detection and treatment.
founding director of the Pan African Cancer Research Institute (PACRI) , Prof Zodwa Dlamini
‘Future cancer burden not inevitable’
The researchers said future cancer research should increasingly focus on identifying causes, predicting risk and preventing disease before it develops. They also called for stronger African-led research, greater investment in scientific infrastructure and closer collaboration between researchers, clinicians and communities.
‘The future cancer burden is not inevitable,’ the researchers said, stressing the need to generate the knowledge and interventions required to change the trajectory of cancer on the continent.
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