Effectiveness of community adolescent treatment supporters (CATS) interventions in improving linkage and retention in care, adherence to ART and psychosocial well-being: a randomised trial among adolescents living with HIV in rural Zimbabwe.

BACKGROUND: Engagement with community adolescent treatment supporters (CATS) improves adherence, psychosocial well-being, linkage and retention in care among adolescents living with HIV. However, there is an urgent need for empirical evidence of the effectiveness of this approach, in order to inform further programmatic development, national and international policy, guidelines and service delivery for adolescents living with HIV. This study set out to determine the effectiveness of CATS services on improving linkage to services and retention in care, adherence and psychosocial well-being among adolescents living with HIV in Zimbabwe. METHODS: A randomised trial was conducted in Gokwe South district, Zimbabwe over a period of 12 months. Ninety-four HIV-positive adolescents, 10-15 years old, on antiretroviral therapy were recruited to the study. 47 participants received standard of care from the Ministry of Health and Child Care and 47 received the same standard of care plus CATS services. Data collection involved a questionnaire which was administered at baseline then repeated at three, six, nine and twelve months for all participants. Survey questions on confidence, self-esteem and self-worth had a three-point Likert scale. Stigma, quality of life and the linkages to services and retention questions had a five-point Likert scale. RESULTS: Survey questionnaires were completed with response rates of 40 out of 47 (85%) for the intervention arm, and 28 out of 47 (60%) for the control arm, at end-line. The intervention group were 3.9 times more likely to adhere to treatment compared to the control group. Linkage to services and retention in care within the intervention group increased compared with a decrease in the control arm. The intervention group reported a statistically significant increase in confidence, self-esteem, self-worth (p < 0.001) and quality of life compared (p = 0.028) with a decrease in the control arm. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that adolescents receiving the CATS service had improved linkage to services and retention in care, improved adherence and improved psychosocial well-being compared to adolescents who did not have access to such services. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PACTR201711002755428 . Registered 11 November 2017. Retrospectively registered.

Analysis of Cancer Research Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Quantitative Perspective on Unmet Needs and Opportunities.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the scope and types of cancer research projects in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to identify research gaps and inform future efforts. METHODS: This retrospective observational study summarized information on cancer research projects in SSA from the International Cancer Research Partnership (ICRP) between 2015 and 2020, alongside 2020 cancer incidence and mortality data from the Global Cancer Observatory. SSA cancer research projects were identified as led by investigators in SSA countries, or by investigators in non-SSA countries with collaborators in SSA, or in database keyword searches. Projects from the Coalition for Implementation Research in Global Oncology (CIRGO) were also summarized. RESULTS: A total of 1,846 projects were identified from the ICRP database, funded by 34 organizations in seven countries (only one, Cancer Association of South Africa, based in SSA); only 156 (8%) were led by SSA-based investigators. Most projects focused on virally induced cancers (57%). Across all cancer types, projects were most frequently related to cervical cancer (24%), Kaposi sarcoma (15%), breast cancer (10%), or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (10%). Gaps were observed for several cancers with higher incidence/mortality burden in SSA; for example, prostate cancer accounted for only 4% of projects but 8% of cancer-related deaths and 10% of new cases. Approximately 26% were dedicated to etiology. Treatment-related research declined over the study period (14%-7% of all projects), while projects related to prevention (15%-20%) and diagnosis/prognosis (15%-29%) increased. Fifteen CIRGO projects were identified; seven were relevant across multiple cancer types, and 12 focused either wholly or partially on cancer control (representing 50% of the total research effort). CONCLUSION: This analysis shows notable discrepancies between cancer burden and research projects and identifies opportunities for future strategic investments in cancer care in SSA.

Multisector Collaborations and Global Oncology: The Only Way Forward.

PURPOSE: At the 12th meeting of AORTIC (African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer) in Maputo, Mozambique, held between November 5 and November 8, 2019, a special workshop was organized to focus on the need for collaboration and coordination between governments and health systems in Africa with academic, industry, association, and other nongovernmental organizations to effect sustainable positive change for the care of patients with cancer. METHODS: Representatives from seven different projects in Africa presented implementation science and demonstration projects of their to date efforts in cancer system improvement including patient access, South-South partnerships, in-country specialized training, palliative care consortium, treatment outcomes, and focused pathology and diagnostic capacity building. Key partners of the various projects served as moderators and commentators during the session. RESULTS: From across all the presentations, lessons learned and exemplary evidence of the value of partnerships were gathered and summarized. CONCLUSION: The concluding synthesis of the presentations determined that with the broad needs across cancer requiring in-depth expertise at each point on a patient's journey, no single organization can effect change alone. Multipartner collaborations not only should be the norm but should also be coordinated so that efforts are not duplicated and maximum patient access to cancer diagnosis and care is achieved.

The effect of community-based support services on clinical efficacy and health-related quality of life in HIV/AIDS patients in resource-limited settings in sub-Saharan Africa.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV/AIDS in developing countries has been rapidly scaled up through directed public and private resources. Data on the efficacy of ART in developing countries are limited, as are operational research studies to determine the effect of selected nonmedical supportive care services on health outcomes in patients receiving ART. We report here on an investigation of the delivery of medical care combined with community-based supportive services for patients with HIV/AIDS in four resource-limited settings in sub-Saharan Africa, carried out between 2005 and 2007. The clinical and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) efficacy of ART combined with community support services was studied in a cohort of 377 HIV-infected patients followed for 18 months, in community-based clinics through patient interviews, clinical evaluations, and questionnaires. Patients exposed to community-based supportive services experienced a more rapid and greater overall increase in CD4 cell counts than unexposed patients. They also had higher levels of adherence, attributed primarily to exposure to home-based care services. In addition, patients receiving home-based care and/or food support services showed greater improvements in selected health-related QOL indicators. This report discusses the feasibility of effective ART in a large number of patients in resource-limited settings and the added value of concomitant community-based supportive care services.