This is the 7th post in a blog series to be published in 2021 by the Secretariat on behalf of the AU High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET) and the Calestous Juma Executive Dialogues (CJED)

The diagnoses and treatment of cancer have progressed remarkably in recent decades across the African continent. More people with cancer are afforded longer lifespans or cure against cancer. Such advances include immunotherapy that encompasses the utilization of inhibitors, antibodies, and immune system modulators to boost the immune response against cancer. Furthermore, cancer vaccines are being developed to prevent cancer from hiding in human cells.

Gene-based treatments treatment and preventative methods are also being used in conjunction with personalized genomics for treatment purposes. As such, scientists can track mutations of certain cancer genes to improve diagnostic methods, predict an outcome, determine suitable treatment drug, and efficiently monitor the treatment process.

However, with such tremendous advances accomplished for the treatment of cancer, not every cancer patient has benefited. This occurs because the detection and diagnosis of cancer cells are usually carried out late, whereby the disease has significantly spread throughout the patient’s body. Thus, there is a need to improve detection and diagnostic tools for cancer, more especially for cervical cancer among African women.

Africa is presented with an enormous challenge pertaining to population growth and decreasing life expectancy among numerous Africans due to the toll of cancer and HIV/AIDS, among other diseases.[1] However, with such challenges, minimal investment towards healthcare capacity building and strengthening aimed towards the detection, prevention, and treatment methods of cervical cancer has been availed in Africa.[2]

Currently, Africa has approximately 267.9 million women aged between 15 years old and older susceptible to developing cervical cancer.[3] In addition, Africa has approximately 80,000 women that have been diagnosed with cervical cancer yearly. Unfortunately, more than 60,000 of these women die because of this disease. Furthermore, since cervical cancer predominantly affects African women at a relatively young age, the resultant negative socio-economic consequences have been enormous across the continent.

Cervical cancer is predominantly caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV). As such, cervical cancer screening using Papanicolaou smears (pap-smears) and HPV testing have helped with detection. Furthermore, HPV vaccination has significantly helped minimize deaths due to cervical cancer. Nevertheless, with all these advances, cervical cancer has persistently remained one of the predominant causes of premature death and ill-health among women in Africa. However, when cervical cancer is detected early enough, appropriate management protocols can be executed in order to prevent and treat cervical cancer.

Africa is however hindered by the deficiency of diagnostic and treatment facilities on the healthcare infrastructure. Furthermore, Africa has inadequate pathology services necessary for the early detection and diagnosis of cervical cancer among African women. In addition, there is limited cancer awareness among rural women because of the minimal access to information pertinent to cervical cancer detection and treatment methods. Moreover, existing cultural barriers are preventing numerous women from effectively engaging in the disease early on; thus, causing women to seek late medical attention.[4]

Considering the healthcare system limitations that the African continent is currently facing, artificial intelligence (AI) is being touted as the most feasible, affordable, and equally effective technology that can be utilized in cervical cancer screening procedures. As such, AI is being adopted and integrated into the existing cervical cancer screening platforms so to enhance screening, diagnosis, and patient record management. Incorporating AI into cervical cancer healthcare management processes and infrastructure is envisaged to affordably enhance the effectiveness of digital microscopes for low-income countries.[5]

African scientists and innovators are currently harnessing AI tools and applications for effectively diagnosing and treating cervical cancer to combat and reduce deaths caused by cervical cancer. For example, Ugandan scientists have developed a PapsAI platform powered by AI technology.[6] The PapsAI is a digital pathology platform that can be utilized for automated cervical cancer diagnosis and management within resource-constrained environments.

PapsAI affordably enhances cancer detection through the pap smear screening method. As such, PapsAI technology eliminates the shortcomings of manual analysis that includes time wastage, labour intensiveness, and proneness to human error. Thus, the utilization of AI-powered software innovation such as PapsAI significantly enhances cervical cancer diagnosis and patient record management systems. Consequently, this leads to faster, efficient, reliable, and high-resolution cervical cell images from the pap-smear screening. Thus, the PapsAI platform is offering affordable diagnostic tools for cervical cancer, which are ideal for the African continent.

In conclusion, African countries are encouraged to consider adopting AI-enabled digital technologies such as PapsAI to improve cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment for Africa women. This will greatly improve the preventative measures against cervical cancer cases in Africa and reduce the mortality rate from this disease. Thus, the development of AI technologies aimed towards early diagnosis of cervical cancer will be a game-changer for Africa’s healthcare system. It will also enable African countries to achieve Agenda 2063, United Nation’s SDGs and STISA-2024 aspirations.

Featured Bloggers – APET Secretariat

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[1] P. Boyle, T. Ngoma, R. Sullivan, O. Brawley, Cancer in Africa: the way forward, ecancer 13 (2019) 953: DOI: https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2019.953.

[2] S. Finocchario-Kessler, C. Wexler, M. Maloba, N. Mabachi, F. Ndikum-Moffor, E. Bukusi, Cervical cancer prevention and treatment research in Africa: a systematic review from a public health perspective, BMC Women's Health (2016) 16:29: DOI 10.1186/s12905-016-0306-6.

[3] L. Denny, Cervical cancer in South Africa: An overview of current status and prevention strategies, CME 28 (2010) 70-73.

[4] S. Kimani, C.W. Kabiru, J. Muteshi, J. Guyo, Exploring barriers to seeking health care among Kenyan Somali women with female genital mutilation: a qualitative study, BMC International Health and Human Rights 20 (2020) 3: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12914-020-0222-6.

[5] O. Holmström, N. Linder, H. Kaingu, N. Mbuuko, J. Mbete, F. Kinyua, S. Törnquist, M. Muinde, L. Krogerus, M. Lundin, V. Diwan, J. Lundin, Point-of-care digital cytology with artificial intelligence for cervical cancer screening at a peripheral clinic in Kenya, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.12.20172346.

[6] W. William, A. Ware, A.H. Basaza-Ejiri, J. Obungoloch, A review of image analysis and machine learning techniques for automated cervical cancer screening from pap-smear images, Computing Methods Programs in Biomedicine 164 (2018) 15-22: doi: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2018.05.034.