Abstract:
Over the past three decades, Africa has focused on combatting
infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/
AIDS. As treatment strategies for infectious diseases have
improved over time, life expectancy has increased, shifting the
burden to chronic diseases, such as cancer. The WHO has now
identified non-communicable diseases, including cancer, as
the new epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa1. Cancer incidence
and mortality are increasing rapidly in low and middle-income
countries (LMIC) as compared to high-income countries. By
2020, it is predicted that 70% of all new cancers worldwide will
occur in LMIC2. In 2012 850 000 new cancers were diagnosed in
Africa, and over one million new cancers are predicted on the
continent by 20202–4. Developing effective strategies to prevent,
detect and treat this growing number of cancer cases poses a
great challenge. There is an ongoing lack of resources, and little
awareness of the need among policymakers and the general
public. In addition, there is a severe shortage of health care
personnel in sub-Sharan Africa5–7. With limited resources and a
growing need to treat complex malignancies, is it feasible for
LMIC to train subspecialists in oncology
