title: Establishment of a cancer surveillance programme: the South African experience.
abstract: Cancer is projected to become a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries in the future. However, cancer incidence in South Africa is largely under-reported because of a lack of nationwide cancer surveillance networks. We describe present cancer surveillance activities in South Africa, and use the International Agency for Research on Cancer framework to propose the development of four population-based cancer registries in South Africa. These registries will represent the ethnic and geographical diversity of the country. We also provide an update on a cancer surveillance pilot programme in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan District, and the successes and challenges in the implementation of the IARC framework in a local context. We examine the development of a comprehensive cancer surveillance system in a middle-income country, which might serve to assist other countries in establishing population-based cancer registries in a resource-constrained environment.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Epidemiology Research Group, National Cancer Registry, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa; University of Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa. Electronic address: elvira.singh@nioh.nhls.ac.za.
authors.forename: Elvira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology, Johannesburg, South Africa; University of Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ruff
authors.affiliation: Cancer Epidemiology Research Group, National Cancer Registry, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa; University of Witwatersrand, Faculty of Health Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Babb
authors.affiliation: Cancer Epidemiology Research Group, National Cancer Registry, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Mazvita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sengayi
authors.affiliation: Cancer Epidemiology Research Group, National Cancer Registry, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa; South African Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, University of Pretoria, School of Public Health, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Moira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beery
authors.affiliation: Cancer Epidemiology Research Group, National Cancer Registry, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Lerato
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Khoali
authors.affiliation: Cancer Epidemiology Research Group, National Cancer Registry, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kellett
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: J Michael
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Underwood
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D044383:Black People; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012042:Registries; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult