Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University Providence, RI, United States
Ethan F. Pearlstein, MD1, Nkengeh N. Tazinkeng, 2, Kelsey Sawyer, MS3, Evaristus S. Chukwudike, MBBCh4, Kanwal Bains, MD5, Comfort Asante, MBChB6, Pharidah Rajan Ibrahim Omar Sundi, MBChB7, Nathaniel Chishinga, MBChB, PhD, MPH8, Akwi W. Asombang, MD, MPH1 1Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI; 2University of Buea, Buea, Sud-Ouest, Cameroon; 3Brown University, Providence, RI; 4University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Cross River, Nigeria; 5Roger Williams Medical Center, Providence, RI; 6Ndola Teaching Hospital, Ndola, Copperbelt, Zambia; 7Lusaka Apex Medical University, Chipata, Eastern, Zambia; 8Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital, Athens, GA
Introduction: Epidemiological measures of pancreatic cancer, including incidence, prevalence and mortality, vary widely throughout the African continent. Due to the lack of a centralized cancer registry in Africa, our aim was to conduct a systematic review to understand the epidemiology of pancreatic cancer in Africa.
Methods: We performed a systematic review of pancreatic cancer studies from Africa to obtain data on epidemiological and clinical factors. We searched PubMed, Embase, EMBSCO, Cochrane Central, African Index Medicus, and African Journals Online from inception to March 2021 and reviewed articles retrieved. Inclusion criteria were pancreatic cancer studies conducted in Africa, in English, that contained epidemiological and clinical data. Abstracts and posters were excluded from analysis. A total of 55 articles were included. Data from each article, including study type, sample size, mean age and gender, were independently extracted by two co-authors. Conflicts were resolved by one of two co-authors.
Results: 55 articles were included for analysis. The earliest studies reviewed were from the 1960’s. Egypt had the most publications with 17/55 (31%), followed by Nigeria with 11/55 (20%). Other African countries had three publications or fewer. 33 studies were cohort studies, 6 case-control studies, and 7 were case series. 41 examined epidemiology, 21 risk factors, 25 management and 20 outcomes. Among the 55 articles, a total population of 9259 pancreatic cancer patients in Africa were analyzed, with a mean age of 57.1 years. Gender was specified in 8071 patients, with 4778 men (59.2%), and 3293 women (40.8%). Gender was not specified in 1188 patients.
Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review of pancreatic cancer in the African continent, with a total of 9259 patients. Most articles were cohort studies that included data on epidemiology. The majority of publications were from the 2000’s to the present day. There exists a disparity in pancreatic cancer publication volume, with a majority of scholarship from two countries, Egypt and Nigeria. Further research is needed to determine country-level factors that may account for this disparity.
Disclosures: Ethan Pearlstein indicated no relevant financial relationships. Nkengeh Tazinkeng indicated no relevant financial relationships. Kelsey Sawyer indicated no relevant financial relationships. Evaristus Chukwudike indicated no relevant financial relationships. Kanwal Bains indicated no relevant financial relationships. Comfort Asante indicated no relevant financial relationships. Pharidah Rajan Ibrahim Omar Sundi indicated no relevant financial relationships. Nathaniel Chishinga indicated no relevant financial relationships. Akwi Asombang indicated no relevant financial relationships.
Ethan F. Pearlstein, MD1, Nkengeh N. Tazinkeng, 2, Kelsey Sawyer, MS3, Evaristus S. Chukwudike, MBBCh4, Kanwal Bains, MD5, Comfort Asante, MBChB6, Pharidah Rajan Ibrahim Omar Sundi, MBChB7, Nathaniel Chishinga, MBChB, PhD, MPH8, Akwi W. Asombang, MD, MPH1. P1060 - Epidemiology of Pancreatic Cancer in Africa: A Systematic Review, ACG 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Las Vegas, Nevada: American College of Gastroenterology.
