Late effects of childhood cancer survivors in Africa: A scoping review

Introduction: The number of children surviving cancer in Africa is increasing. Knowledge about late effects of survivors is lacking. Our study maps literature regarding late effects of childhood cancer survivors in Africa.Methods: Scoping review was performed following JBI-guidelines. Systematic literature search was conducted in: Medline, Embase, African Index Medicus, Web of Science, Scopus, Psycinfo. Titles and abstracts were screened by two reviewers, followed by full-text analysis by the lead reviewer.Results: Sixty-eight studies were included for content analysis. Studies originated from 10 of 54 African countries. Most studies had retrospective study design, 2-5 years follow-up, solely chemotherapy as treatment modality, Egypt as country of origin. Fifty-three studies described physical, and seventeen studies described psychosocial late effects.Conclusion: Literature concerning late effects is available from a limited number of African countries. Psychosocial domain lacks attention compared to the physical domain. More countries should report on this topic to prevent, identify and monitor late effects.

Automated summary

The number of childhood cancer survivors in Africa is increasing, but there is a lack of knowledge about late effects. This scoping review analyzed literature on the late effects of childhood cancer survivors in Africa. Sixty-eight studies were included, originating from 10 African countries. Physical late effects were described in 53 studies, while psychosocial late effects were mentioned in 17 studies. It is important for more countries to report on this topic to effectively prevent, identify, and monitor late effects.