Work

Reply to “Interpreting projected gastrointestinal cancer burden in Africa: The case of liver cancer”

Year: 2026

Type: letter

Abstract: Reply to "Interpreting projected gastrointestinal cancer burden in Africa: The case of liver cancer"We appreciate Njei and Al-Ajlouni for their insightful comments regarding our article on global gastrointestinal cancer projections and for highlighting the critical distinction between age-standardized rates (ASRs) and the absolute burden of liver cancer in sub-Saharan Africa. 1 We strongly concur that favorable trends in age-standardized incidence rates can paradoxically coexist with a rapidly expanding absolute disease burden.As reported in our study using the GLO-BOCAN database, Africa is projected to experience the largest increases in both incidence and mortality for gastrointestinal cancers by 2050 among six World Health Organization regions. 1 This divergence in comparison with decreasing ASRs is primarily driven by the region's unique demographic transition-specifically its rapid population growth and aging population structure-which threatens to outpace gains in reducing age-specific risks. 2 Njei and Al-Ajlouni correctly note that although vaccination efforts against hepatitis B and improvements in viral hepatitis treatment are reducing ASRs, these interventions alone are insufficient to curb the absolute rise in cases.Neonatal vaccination programs take

Source: Cancer

DOI: 10.1002/cncr.70297

Authors: Pojsakorn Danpanichkul, Michael B. Wallace, Amit G. Singal, Ju Dong Yang

Institutions: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Mayo Clinic, Mayo Clinic in Florida, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Language: English

Topic: Global Cancer Incidence and Screening

Subfield: Oncology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: National Institutes of Health