Summary: 

Written about cancer in Africa by health professionals working in Africa or international colleagues working closely with Africa, identifies ‘The State of Oncology in Africa, 2015’ as a unique report. Overall, it paints a depressing and deplorable picture of the current situation regarding cancer in Africa. Many patients do not seek traditional medical advice. Those who do, do so when the cancer is at an advanced stage when cure is no longer possible. There is a lack of oncologists from all disciplines, nurses and the necessary health professionals and technicians to support their work. There is a lack of treatment centres. There is a lack of treatments. Most countries do not have any Radiotherapy equipment. Most countries do not have access to opioid drugs for palliative care and pain control. The situation is bound to get worse as the population grows and ages and cancer risk factors imported from high-resource countries begin to have their effect. The evidence is clear. Over the next decades, cancer will cause Africans to suffer and die in greater numbers; much greater numbers.