Cancer Care Africa:
Pioneering an equitable and sustainable approach to cancer care in Africa

With the Cancer Care Africa programme, together with our partners, we are stepping up to overcome the rising burden of cancer in Africa. By redefining cancer care and enhancing the resilience and sustainability of health systems, we are making healthcare more accessible.

Cancer in Africa: The rising burden

Cancer is an urgent and growing health concern in Africa. It is now the continent's fifth leading cause of death, with more than 1.1 million new cases in 2020 alone.¹ Approximately 70% of 10 million cancer deaths each year occur in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).² Despite having almost 80% of the burden, LMICs have less than an estimated 5% share of the global resources for combating cancer.³ The forecast for Africa by 2040 is grim, with 2.1 million cancer cases and 1.4 million deaths expected annually.¹

Even with these stark figures, quality cancer care remains inaccessible to many Africans due to inadequate diagnostic facilities, low patient awareness, lack of training for healthcare providers, and difficulties accessing preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic resources. These barriers disproportionately affect underserved populations, exacerbating existing health disparities.^4,5

Despite these challenges, significant opportunities exist to provide equitable and sustainable access to cancer care in Africa. Countries are increasingly acknowledging the burden cancer places on health systems and are investing more to improve patient outcomes. However, these efforts need amplification and support from all stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem to effectively address the growing disease burden.

Our commitment to fighting cancer

At AstraZeneca, our ambition is to provide cures for cancer in all its forms. Our quest involves understanding cancer in its complexities and working tirelessly to discover, develop, and deliver life-changing treatments. We aim not just to save lives globally but also to advance equitable improvements in cancer outcomes for all. This can only be achieved in partnership with the cancer community, healthcare systems, and governments, aiming to alleviate the burden of cancer on patients and society.

Introducing Cancer Care Africa

Cancer Care Africa is our response to the growing cancer burden on the African continent, addressing the urgent need for action. Launched in November 2022 at COP27 in Egypt, Cancer Care Africa aids countries in their fight against cancer by advocating for policy changes to improve outcomes for all individuals affected by the disease, irrespective of their demographic, geographic, or socio-economic status. It also encourages the adoption of innovative health technologies to make cancer screening more accessible, especially in remote and underserved communities.

Cancer Care Africa adopts a country-specific approach, collaborating with in-country external partners and stakeholders, including cancer experts, researchers, patients, health tech firms, government officials, and policymakers, to establish sustainable and resilient cancer care ecosystems that can transform patient outcomes. Although locally led, Cancer Care Africa is also uniting expertise across borders through its preceptorship programmes to maximise the skills and knowledge transfer opportunities within the African continent.

The programme is focused on four pillars of action:

1. Building capacity and capabilities: We are committed to supporting more than 100 oncology centres and providing training for more than 10,000 healthcare professionals to improve the quality of care delivered to patients across the continent
2. Enhancing screening and diagnostics: We aim to enhance screening and diagnostics for lung, breast, and prostate cancer, targeting over one million people
3. Empowering Patients: Our initiatives are designed to address the needs of patients, supporting increased disease awareness and informed patient decision-making
4. Enabling access to medicines: We strive to enhance the availability of critical cancer medicines by introducing flexible models that can provide access to our innovative treatments

Advancing cancer care for people, society, and planet

As we strive for a healthier future, we must collaborate to transform the future of healthcare and improve the lives of people living in Africa – we must act now in Africa, for Africa.   

References

1. Frontiers in Public Health. Mapping Cancer in Africa: A Comprehensive and Comparable Characterization of 34 Cancer Types Using Estimates from GLOBOCAN 2020. Front Public Health [Internet]. [cited 2022 October]. Available from: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.839835/full

2. American Cancer Society. (n.d.). Global cancer burden. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from https://www.cancer.org/about-us/our-global-health-work/global-cancer-burden.html

3. Ocran Mattila, P., Ahmad, R., Hasan, S. S., & Babar, Z. (2021). Availability, Affordability, Access, and Pricing of Anti-cancer Medicines in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of Literature. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 628744. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.628744

4. World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa. Where does cancer care stand in Africa today? [Internet]. 2022 Mar 11 [cited 2023 May 25]. Available from: https://www.afro.who.int/news/where-does-cancer-care-stand-africa-today

5. Stefan D. C. (2015). Cancer Care in Africa: An Overview of Resources. Journal of global oncology, 1(1), 30–36. https://doi.org/10.1200/JGO.2015.000406

Veeva ID: Z4-56774
Date of preparation: August 2023