Participant Evaluation of a Multi-disciplinary Oncology Preceptorship Training Program for Oncology Health Professionals from Kumasi, Ghana.

A critical shortage of skilled healthcare workers is a primary cause of disparate global cancer outcomes. We report participant evaluation of a multidisciplinary preceptorship program. In collaboration with the city of Kumasi, Ghana, Mayo Clinic and the City Cancer Challenge hosted a preceptorship program for comprehensive multidisciplinary breast and cervix cancer training. A total of 14 healthcare workers from Kumasi received two weeks of training at Mayo Clinic in November and December 2021. Each participant and preceptor were requested to complete an anonymous post-participation survey. Of the 14 trainee participants, 10 (71%) completed the survey. All respondents found the program "valuable and applicable to their clinical practice." Ninety percent reported they were able to "review effective and critical elements in the development and expansion of the multidisciplinary team" and able to "solve practical clinical cases as a team". General themes of satisfaction included: (1) organization and administration, (2) clinical observations and demonstrations, (3) guidelines development, and (4) recognizing the central importance of cultivating a team-based approach. Of the 40 preceptors, 16 (40%) completed the survey. All respondents reported they felt the training would meaningfully "influence patient care in Ghana", that participation "added value or joy to their clinical practice," and all wished to "participate in future preceptorship programs". After a focused two-week program, trainees reported high satisfaction, usefulness from observing specialized cancer care, and value in closely observing a multidisciplinary oncology team. Preceptors reported the experience added joy and perspective to their clinical practice and wished to participate in future programs.

Heterogeneity in head and neck cancer incidence among black populations from Africa, the Caribbean and the USA: Analysis of cancer registry data by the AC3.

BACKGROUND: Africa and the Caribbean are projected to have greater increases in Head and neck cancer (HNC) burden in comparison to North America and Europe. The knowledge needed to reinforce prevention in these populations is limited. We compared for the first time, incidence rates of HNC in black populations from African, the Caribbean and USA. METHODS: Annual age-standardized incidence rates (IR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) per 100,000 were calculated for 2013-2015 using population-based cancer registry data for 14,911 HNC cases from the Caribbean (Barbados, Guadeloupe, Trinidad & Tobago, N = 443), Africa (Kenya, Nigeria, N = 772) and the United States (SEER, Florida, N = 13,696). We compared rates by sub-sites and sex among countries using data from registries with high quality and completeness. RESULTS: In 2013-2015, compared to other countries, HNC incidence was highest among SEER states (IR: 18.2, 95%CI = 17.6-18.8) among men, and highest in Kenya (IR: 7.5, 95%CI = 6.3-8.7) among women. Nasopharyngeal cancer IR was higher in Kenya for men (IR: 3.1, 95%CI = 2.5-3.7) and women (IR: 1.5, 95%CI = 1.0-1.9). Female oral cavity cancer was also notably higher in Kenya (IR = 3.9, 95%CI = 3.0-4.9). Blacks from SEER states had higher incidence of laryngeal cancer (IR: 5.5, 95%CI = 5.2-5.8) compared to other countries and even Florida blacks (IR: 4.4, 95%CI = 3.9-5.0). CONCLUSION: We found heterogeneity in IRs for HNC among these diverse black populations; notably, Kenya which had distinctively higher incidence of nasopharyngeal and female oral cavity cancer. Targeted etiological investigations are warranted considering the low consumption of tobacco and alcohol among Kenyan women. Overall, our findings suggest that behavioral and environmental factors are more important determinants of HNC than race.

Malignant tumours in urban Ghana: evidence from the city of Kumasi.

BACKGROUND: Data from population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) are a useful resource for estimating the incidence of cancers. PBCR data is useful in the planning and implementation of cancer prevention and control strategies. Ghana's plan for control of non-communicable diseases recognises the need for good quality data to facilitate the attainment of set goals. METHODS: We reviewed data from the Kumasi Cancer Registry for the year 2015. Data collected included clinical and demographic information, laboratory reports and source of case information. Data was entered into the Canreg-5 software. Data was initially analysed using Canreg-5 to estimate the incidence and age standardised rates (ASR) for various tumours. Data was also exported to Microsoft Excel for further analysis using Epi Info version 7.1.4. Microsoft Excel was used to generate charts and graphs. Aggregated data for the years 2013 and 2014 were also analysed for trends in cancer incidence and ASR. RESULTS: A total of 736 cancer cases were recorded among the residents of Kumasi for the year 2015. Females accounted for 62.4% of all cases. The overall incidence of cancer in Kumasi for 2015 was 46.1 per 100,000. The mean age of all cases was 51.3 years (with a range of 1 to 99 years). The incidence among female residents was estimated at 54.1 per 100,000 compared with 37.1 per 100,000 in males. Among females, breast and cervical cancers recorded the highest incidences of 16.1 per 100,000 and 13.7 per 100,000 respectively. Among males, prostate cancer had the highest incidence of 10.5 per 100,000. Breast, cervical and liver cancers were the commonest in both sexes accounting for 19.7, 14.7 and 11.4% of cases respectively. CONCLUSION: There has been significant improvement in data quality and coverage since the inception of our PBCR in 2012. PBCRs are feasible; therefore there is the need for more such registries to improve data on cancers in Ghana. Consistent with other evidence, we found breast cancer as the commonest female cancer in Ghana.