Strengthening Lusophone Collaboration in Cancer Research: Highlights from the First PALOP/ CPLP International Scientific Conference on Cancer in Africa

Authors

  • Lúcio Lara Santos Experimental Pathology and Therapeutics Group, Research Centre of IPO Porto (CI- IPOP)/RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Department of Surgical Oncology, Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto), Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre (Porto.CCC), Porto, Portugal
  • Howard Lopes Ribeiro Junior Center for Research and Drug Development (NPDM), Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
  • Lina Mamige Vilanculo Maputo Central Hospital, Maputo, Mozambique
  • Faizana Amodo Maputo Central Hospital, Maputo, Mozambique
  • Carlos David Ferreira Alone Selemane Maputo Central Hospital, Maputo, Mozambique
  • Pâmela Cristina Carvalho Borges Agostinho Neto University Hospital, Praia, Cape Verde
  • Liudmila Castelo David Dr. Ayres de Menezes Central Hospital, São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe
  • Bubacar Embaló Simão Mendes National Hospital, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
  • Carla Bicho Retired physicians, Lisbon, Portugal
  • Manuel Bicho Retired physicians, Lisbon, Portugal
  • Beatrice Mainoli Experimental Pathology and Therapeutics Group, Research Centre of IPO Porto (CI- IPOP)/RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Department of Surgical Oncology, Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto), Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre (Porto.CCC), Porto, Portugal
  • Teresa Garcia Experimental Pathology and Therapeutics Group, Research Centre of IPO Porto (CI- IPOP)/RISE@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Department of Surgical Oncology, Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto), Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre (Porto.CCC), Porto, Portugal
  • Mateus Webba da Silva Ulster University, London, United Kingdom
  • Paulo Salamanca Heroes of Kifangondo Hospital, Luanda, Angola
  • Fábio da Silva Angolan Institute for Cancer Control, Luanda, Angola
  • Ketha Robuz Francisco National Directorate of Public Health, Luanda, Angola
  • Eliane Azevedo Lubango Central Hospital, Lubango, Angola
  • Mauro Pinto Angolan Institute for Cancer Control, Luanda, Angola
  • Júlio Santos Multi Perfil Clinic, Luanda, Angola
  • Maria Lina de Menezes Antunes Lubango Central Hospital, Lubango, Angola
  • Fortunato Ribeiro Silva Lubango Central Hospital, Lubango, Angola
  • Balbina Menezes Hungulo de Oliveira Lubango Central Hospital, Lubango, Angola
  • Luísa Pereira i3S, UP Porto, Porto, Portugal
  • Filomeno de Jesus Pires Coelho Fortes Organic Unit, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34635/rpc.1174

Keywords:

Cancer Research Collaboration, Lusophone Countries, Cancer Control in Africa, PALOP/CPLP

Abstract

The First PALOP/CPLP International Scientific Conference on Cancer was convened in Benguela, Angola, on 25 September 2025, bringing together clinicians, researchers, and policymakers from Portuguese-speaking countries across four continents. The meeting addressed the current landscape of cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment in Africa, with particular emphasis on the structural barriers and emerging collaborative opportunities shaping oncology across the lusophone world. Scientific sessions encompassed molecular oncology, infection-associated malignancies, precision medicine, and regional cancer control strategies, collectively underscoring the urgency of coordinated, multilateral action. A defining outcome of the conference was the consensual drafting of the Lusophone Cancer Charter, a strategic document delineating actionable recommendations for cancer policy harmonization and research cooperation among Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) member states. This report synthesizes the key scientific contributions, thematic discussions, and collaborative commitments emerging from the conference, highlighting their potential to catalyse more equitable and evidence-based oncology practice across the lusophone world.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

GBD 2023 Cancer Collaborators. The global, regional, and national burden of cancer, 1990–2023, with forecasts to 2050: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023. Lancet 2025, S0140-6736(25)01635-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/ S0140-6736(25)01635-6.

Sharma R.; Aashima; Nanda M.; Fronterre C.; Sewagudde P.; Ssentongo A.E.; Yenney K.; Arhin N.D.; Oh J.; Amponsah-Manu F.; Ssentongo P. Mapping cancer in Africa: a comprehensive and comparable characterization of 34 cancer types using estimates from GLOBOCAN 2020. Front. Public Health 2022, 10, 839835. https:// doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.839835.

Santos L.L.; Spencer H.B.; Miguel F.; Tulsidás S.; Rodrigues B.; Lopes L.V. Fight against cancer in Portuguese-speaking African countries: echoes from the last cancer meetings. Infect. Agent Cancer 2019, 14, 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13027-019-0222-0.

Thomas C.E.; Peters U. Genomic landscape of cancer in racially and ethnically diverse populations. Nat. Rev. Genet. 2025, 26, 336–349. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-024-00796-w.

Corpas M.; Pius M.; Poburennaya M.; Guio H.; Dwek M.; Nagaraj S.; Lopez-Correa C.; Popejoy A.; Fatumo S. Bridging genomics' greatest challenge: the diversity gap. Cell Genom. 2025, 5, 100724. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100724.

Ngwa W.; Addai B.W.; Adewole I.; et al. Cancer in sub-Saharan Africa: a Lancet Oncology Commission. Lancet Oncol. 2022, 23, e251–e312. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00720-8.

Omonisi A.E.; Liu B.; Parkin D.M. Population-based cancer registration in sub-Saharan Africa: its role in research and cancer control. JCO Glob. Oncol. 2020, 6, 1721–1728. https://doi.org/10.1200/ GO.20.00294.

Parkin D.M.; Hämmerl L.; Ferlay J.; Kantelhardt E.J. Cancer in Africa 2018: the role of infections. Int. J. Cancer 2020, 146, 2089–2103. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.32538.

Anyigba C.A.; Awandare G.A.; Paemka L. Breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa: the current state and uncertain future. Exp. Biol. Med. (Maywood) 2021, 246, 1377–1387. https://doi. org/10.1177/15353702211006047.

Ribeiro Junior H.L.; Gonçalves M.A. How a WhatsApp group empowers Portuguese-speaking researchers. Nature Africa 2025. https://doi.org/10.1038/d44148-025-00238-7.

Downloads

Published

2026-03-02

Issue

Ahead of Print

Section

Current Perspectives

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Portuguese Journal of Surgery

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Para permitir ao editor a disseminação do trabalho do(s) autor(es) na sua máxima extensão, o(s) autor(es) deverá(ão) assinar uma Declaração de Cedência dos Direitos de Propriedade (Copyright). O acordo de transferência, (Transfer Agreement), transfere a propriedade do artigo do(s) autor(es) para a Sociedade Portuguesa de Cirurgia.

Se o artigo contiver extractos (incluindo ilustrações) de, ou for baseado no todo ou em parte em outros trabalhos com copyright (incluindo, para evitar dúvidas, material de fontes online ou de intranet), o(s) autor(es) tem(êm) de obter, dos proprietários dos respectivos copyrights, autorização escrita para reprodução desses extractos do(s) artigo(s) em todos os territórios e edições e em todos os meios de expressão e línguas. Todas os formulários de autorização devem ser fornecidos aos editores quando da entrega do artigo.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>