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Cancer burden in low-income and middle-income countries

Nature Reviews Cancer volume 24, pages 167–170 (2024)Cite this article

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As cancer detection rates and therapy successes increase in high-income countries, it is predicted that over the next decade more than 75% of cancer-related deaths will occur in low-income and middle-income countries. Sub-Saharan Africa, which contains many of these countries, is currently unprepared with inadequate screening and detection methods, treatment and palliative care capacity. In this Viewpoint, we asked experts to discuss this burden and what is needed to alleviate it.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Global Programs, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Sharmila Anandasabapathy

  2. International Cancer Institute, Eldoret, Kenya

    Chite Asirwa

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Surbhi Grover

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Chemtai Mungo

Authors
  1. Sharmila Anandasabapathy
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  2. Chite Asirwa
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  3. Surbhi Grover
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  4. Chemtai Mungo
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Sharmila Anandasabapathy, Chite Asirwa, Surbhi Grover or Chemtai Mungo.

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Competing interests

S.G. is supported through National Cancer Institute (NCI) grants, a consultant at Genesiscare USA and has stock options with Harbinger Health. S.A., C.A. and C.M. declare no competing interests.

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The contributors

Sharmila Anandasabapathy is a Professor of Medicine in Gastroenterology and Senior Associate Dean and Vice President of Global Programs at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX. In her current role, she oversees the international academic and research programs at Baylor College of Medicine. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Bioengineering at Rice University in Houston.

Fredrick Chite Asirwa, CEO of International Cancer Institute (ICI), is a medical oncologist and haematologist providing cancer clinical care across sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to being the Principal Investigator of multiple interventional oncology clinical trials, he also teaches residents and fellows. ICI leads research, clinical care and training in sub-Saharan Africa.

Surbhi Grover is an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, Director of Global Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at University of Botswana. Grover has been working with the Botswana-UPenn partnership, strengthening the oncology program in Botswana, where she moved full time in 2014.

Chemtai Mungo is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She received her medical degree from the University of California San Francisco and holds a Master’s in Public Health. Her research is focused on cervical cancer prevention in low-income and middle-income countries, specifically in Kenya and Malawi, where she teaches trainees and leads clinical trials.

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Anandasabapathy, S., Asirwa, C., Grover, S. et al. Cancer burden in low-income and middle-income countries. Nat Rev Cancer 24, 167–170 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41568-023-00659-2

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