The burden of squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva in Africa.

UNLABELLED: Squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva (SCCC) is a relatively common cancer in Africa, although its precise incidence and geographic distribution have not been previously systematically studied.

METHODS

Using the methods employed to produce national estimates of cancer incidence for the "Globocan" series of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, along with detailed information on cancer incidence by histological subtype from cancer registries in Africa, we estimate the numbers and rates of incidence by sex, age group, country and region of Africa.

RESULTS

We estimate that the number of new cases occurring in 2018 to be about 6 200, with all but about 50 in sub Saharan Africa, and 55% in females. On a national basis, the geographic distribution of incidence rates resembles that of the prevalence of infection with HIV, with a strong correlation between them, especially in males.

CONCLUSIONS

We estimate that about one third of the total cases of SCCC occurring in Africa are HIV-related.