Strengthening Cancer Screening in Africa: Insights from the CanScreen5 Initiative
Youssef Chami, Eric Lucas, Maryluz Rol, Jean-Marie Dangou, Joel Fakom Domgue, Partha Basu, CanScreen5 African contributors
 
Introduction
Cancer remains a major public health challenge in Africa, with cervical, breast, colorectal, and lung cancers accounting for a significant proportion of cancer-related morbidity and mortality. In 2022, Africa recorded approximately 198,500 new breast cancer cases and 91,200 deaths; 125,700 cervical cancer cases and 80,600 deaths; 70,400 colorectal cancer cases and 46,100 deaths; and 49,800 lung cancer cases with 45,500 deaths. These figures underscore the urgent need for effective screening strategies. The IARC CanScreen5 platform addresses this need by collecting and disseminating data on the organisation and performance of cancer screening programmes worldwide, supporting evidence-based policy-making and programme improvement. These efforts align with the WHO Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy and the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative, which aim to reduce cancer burden through prevention and early detection.
Methods
CanScreen5 is a freely accessible platform that gathers standardised data on screening programmes for cervical, breast, colorectal, and emerging lung cancer initiatives. It provides tools for data collection, methodologies for estimating performance indicators, and benchmarking against international standards. Capacity-building activities—including online courses and regional workshops—equip health professionals and programme managers to interpret and utilise data effectively.
Results
Since 2022, CanScreen5 has engaged 35 African countries, generating validated data for cervical cancer screening and emerging insights for breast and colorectal programmes.
Cervical cancer: VIA remains predominant, with recent introduction of on-going pilots with HPV testing, contributing to WHO’s 90-70-90 targets.
Breast cancer: Organised mammography-based programmes are rare; opportunistic screening based on CBE predominates in a limited number of countries.
Colorectal cancer: Limited implementation through pilot settings.
Lung cancer: No organised programmes yet; discussions focus on feasibility and integration with tobacco control.
The platform highlights gaps in governance, service delivery, information systems, and quality assurance, while showcasing best practices and opportunities for improvement.Conclusions
Programme organisation and quality assurance vary widely across Africa. By leveraging CanScreen5 data, countries can identify gaps and implement targeted interventions to strengthen screening systems. The platform’s role in promoting international collaboration and standardisation is pivotal for advancing cancer screening and achieving WHO cancer control targets.