Systematic review of cholangiocarcinoma in Africa: epidemiology, management, and clinical outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence, management, and clinical outcomes of cholangiocarcinoma in Africa are unknown. The aim is to conduct a comprehensive systematic review on the epidemiology, management, and outcomes of cholangiocarcinoma in Africa. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and CINHAL from inception up to November 2019 for studies on cholangiocarcinoma in Africa. The results reported follow PRISMA guidelines. Quality of studies and risk of bias were adapted from a standard quality assessment tool. Descriptive data were expressed as numbers with proportions and Chi-squared test was used to compare proportions. P values < 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: A total of 201 citations were identified from the four databases. After excluding duplicates, 133 full texts were reviewed for eligibility, and 11 studies were included. The 11 studies are reported from 4 countries only: 8 are from North Africa (Egypt 6 and Tunisia 2), and 3 in Sub-Saharan Africa (2 in South Africa, 1 in Nigeria). Ten studies reported management and outcomes, while one study reported epidemiology and risk factors. Median age for cholangiocarcinoma ranged between 52 and 61 years. Despite the proportion with cholangiocarcinoma being higher among males than females in Egypt, this gender disparity could not be demonstrated in other African countries. Chemotherapy is mainly used for palliative care. Surgical interventions are curative and prevent cancer progression. Statistical analyses were performed with Stata 15.1. CONCLUSION: The known global major risk factors such as primary sclerosing cholangitis, Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini infestation are rare. Chemotherapy treatment was mainly used for palliative treatment and was reported in three studies. Surgical intervention was described in at least 6 studies as a curative modality of treatment. Diagnostic capabilities such as radiographic imaging and endoscopic are lacking across the continent which most likely plays a role in accurate diagnosis.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of esophageal cancer in Africa: Epidemiology, risk factors, management and outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer (EC) is associated with a poor prognosis, particularly so in Africa where an alarmingly high mortality to incidence ratio prevails for this disease. AIM: To provide further understanding of EC in the context of the unique cultural and genetic diversity, and socio-economic challenges faced on the African continent. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of studies from Africa to obtain data on epidemiology, risk factors, management and outcomes of EC. A non-systematic review was used to obtain incidence data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the Cancer in Sub-Saharan reports. We searched EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central from inception to March 2019 and reviewed the list of articles retrieved. Random effects meta-analyses were used to assess heterogeneity between studies and to obtain odds ratio (OR) of the associations between EC and risk factors; and incidence rate ratios for EC between sexes with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: The incidence of EC is higher in males than females, except in North Africa where it is similar for both sexes. The highest age-standardized rate is from Malawi (30.3 and 19.4 cases/year/100000 population for males and females, respectively) followed by Kenya (28.7 cases/year/100000 population for both sexes). The incidence of EC rises sharply after the age of 40 years and reaches a peak at 75 years old. Meta-analysis shows a strong association with tobacco (OR 3.15, 95%CI: 2.83-3.50). There was significant heterogeneity between studies on alcohol consumption (OR 2.28, 95%CI: 1.94-2.65) and on low socioeconomic status (OR 139, 95%CI: 1.25-1.54) as risk factors, but these could also contribute to increasing the incidence of EC. The best treatment outcomes were with esophagectomy with survival rates of 76.6% at 3 years, and chemo-radiotherapy with an overall combined survival time of 267.50 d. CONCLUSION: Africa has high incidence and mortality rates of EC, with preventable and non-modifiable risk factors. Men in this setting are at increased risk due to their higher prevalence of tobacco and alcohol consumption. Management requires a multidisciplinary approach, and survival is significantly improved in the setting of esophagectomy and chemoradiation therapy.