TY - JOUR
T1 - Unveiling the Dual Threat
T2 - How Microbial Infections and Healthcare Deficiencies Fuel Cervical and Prostate Cancer Deaths in Africa
AU - Abdul-Nasir, Sofian
AU - Lee, Hyungdon
AU - Rahman, Md Habibur
AU - Bajgai, Johny
AU - Lee, Kyu Jae
AU - Kim, Cheol Su
AU - Kim, Soo Ki
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.
PY - 2024/3
Y1 - 2024/3
N2 - Cervical and prostate cancer account for 7.1 and 7.3 deaths per 100,000 people globally in 2022. These rates increased significantly to 17.6 and 17.3 in Africa, respectively, making them the second and third leading cause of cancer deaths in Africa, only surpassed by breast cancer. The human papillomavirus is the prime risk factor for cervical cancer infection. On the other hand, prostate cancer risks include ageing, genetics, race, geography, and family history. However, these factors alone cannot account for the high mortality rate in Africa, which is more than twice the global mortality rate for the two cancers. We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science to select relevant articles using keywords related to microorganisms involved in cervical and prostate cancer and the impact of poor healthcare systems on the mortality rates of these two cancers in Africa by carrying out a detailed synopsis of the studies on microbial agents involved and the contributory factors to the deteriorating healthcare system in Africa. It became apparent that the developed countries come first in terms of the prevalence of cervical and prostate cancer. However, more people per capita in Africa die from these cancers as compared to other continents. Also, microbial infections (bacterial or viral), especially sexually transmitted infections, cause inflammation, which triggers the pathogenesis and progression of these cancers among the African population; this has been linked to the region’s deficient health infrastructure, making it difficult for people with microbial infections to access healthcare and hence making infection control and prevention challenging. Taken together, untreated microbial infections, primarily sexually transmitted infections due to the deficient healthcare systems in Africa, are responsible for the high mortality rate of cervical and prostate cancer.
AB - Cervical and prostate cancer account for 7.1 and 7.3 deaths per 100,000 people globally in 2022. These rates increased significantly to 17.6 and 17.3 in Africa, respectively, making them the second and third leading cause of cancer deaths in Africa, only surpassed by breast cancer. The human papillomavirus is the prime risk factor for cervical cancer infection. On the other hand, prostate cancer risks include ageing, genetics, race, geography, and family history. However, these factors alone cannot account for the high mortality rate in Africa, which is more than twice the global mortality rate for the two cancers. We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science to select relevant articles using keywords related to microorganisms involved in cervical and prostate cancer and the impact of poor healthcare systems on the mortality rates of these two cancers in Africa by carrying out a detailed synopsis of the studies on microbial agents involved and the contributory factors to the deteriorating healthcare system in Africa. It became apparent that the developed countries come first in terms of the prevalence of cervical and prostate cancer. However, more people per capita in Africa die from these cancers as compared to other continents. Also, microbial infections (bacterial or viral), especially sexually transmitted infections, cause inflammation, which triggers the pathogenesis and progression of these cancers among the African population; this has been linked to the region’s deficient health infrastructure, making it difficult for people with microbial infections to access healthcare and hence making infection control and prevention challenging. Taken together, untreated microbial infections, primarily sexually transmitted infections due to the deficient healthcare systems in Africa, are responsible for the high mortality rate of cervical and prostate cancer.
KW - Africa
KW - bacteria
KW - cervical cancer
KW - healthcare
KW - mortality
KW - prostate cancer
KW - virus
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85188899850&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85188899850&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/pathogens13030243
DO - 10.3390/pathogens13030243
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85188899850
SN - 2076-0817
VL - 13
JO - Pathogens
JF - Pathogens
IS - 3
M1 - 243
ER -