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Bridging Gaps: Emerging Trends and Challenges in Cancer Research Across Africa

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Informatics and Big Data".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2025) | Viewed by 1093

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Cape Town 7925, South Africa
2. International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
Interests: metabolomics; NMR spectroscopy; machine learning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Cape Town 7925, South Africa
2. International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
Interests: cancer genomics; signal transduction; transcription factor regulation; receptor tyrosine kinases in cancer; proteomics and omics technologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Dear colleagues, In the vibrant mosaic of global health, Africa's unique epidemiological and genetic landscape presents a distinct chapter in the narrative of cancer research. The continent's vast genetic diversity not only enriches our understanding of human biology, but also unveils specific cancer susceptibilities and resistance patterns. This Special Issue seeks to pioneer new paths in understanding how Africa's genetic heritage shapes cancer risk, progression and treatment outcomes. We invite pioneering research and comprehensive reviews that examine the relationship between Africa's genetic diversity and cancer. Contributions may include studies on population genetics, the discovery of novel oncogenes and tumor suppressors specific to African populations, and the exploration of genetic markers for risk assessment and therapeutic targeting. This issue aims to spotlight innovative methodologies in genetic research, bioinformatics approaches tailored to African genomic datasets and culturally sensitive genetic counseling practices. Moreover, we encourage submissions that critically evaluate the ethical, social and logistical challenges of conducting genetic cancer research in Africa, addressing issues such as data representation, privacy concerns and the translation of research findings into equitable health practices. Through diverse perspectives and multidisciplinary approaches, this Special Issue aspires to catalyze a transformative dialogue on cancer genetics in Africa, fostering a research environment that is both globally connected and locally relevant. Join this ambitious journey to explore the genetic underpinnings of cancer in Africa. Together, we can unlock groundbreaking insights and develop targeted, culturally informed interventions that address the continent's specific needs, contributing to the global fight against cancer with renewed vigor and vision.

Dr. Stefano Cacciatore
Dr. Luiz Zerbini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Africa
  • omics
  • translational medicine
  • genetic diversity

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

20 pages, 1948 KiB  
Review
Scaling for African Inclusion in High-Throughput Whole Cancer Genome Bioinformatic Workflows
by Jue Jiang, Georgina Samaha, Cali E. Willet, Tracy Chew, Vanessa M. Hayes and Weerachai Jaratlerdsiri
Cancers 2025, 17(15), 2481; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17152481 - 26 Jul 2025
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Abstract
Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing the highest mortality rates for several cancer types. While cancer research globally has entered the genomic era and advanced the deployment of precision oncology, Africa has largely been excluded and has received few benefits from tumour profiling. Through a [...] Read more.
Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing the highest mortality rates for several cancer types. While cancer research globally has entered the genomic era and advanced the deployment of precision oncology, Africa has largely been excluded and has received few benefits from tumour profiling. Through a thorough literature review, we identified only five whole cancer genome databases that include patients from Sub-Saharan Africa, covering four cancer types (breast, esophageal, prostate, and Burkitt lymphoma). Irrespective of cancer type, these studies report higher tumour genome instability, including African-specific cancer drivers and mutational signatures, suggesting unique contributory mechanisms at play. Reviewing bioinformatic tools applied to African databases, we carefully select a workflow suitable for large-scale African resources, which incorporates cohort-level data and a scalable design for time and computational efficiency. Using African genomic data, we demonstrate the scalability achieved by high-level parallelism through physical data or genomic interval chunking strategies. Furthermore, we provide a rationale for improving current workflows for African data, including the adoption of more genomic techniques and the prioritisation of African-derived datasets for diverse applications. Together, these enhancements and genomic scaling strategies serve as practical computational guidance, lowering technical barriers for future large-scale African-inclusive research and ultimately helping to reduce the disparity gap in cancer mortality rates across Sub-Saharan Africa. Full article
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