Surgical Neurooncology in Africa: An Update

Abstract

Surgical neuro-oncology in Africa has witnessed progressive advancements in the last few decades, which has resulted in increased access to neurosurgical care by patients with brain and spinal cord tumors and an appreciable improvement in patients' outcomes. A steady increase in the neurosurgical workforce responsible for caring for patients with brain tumors, with the formation of a nidus of the needed critical mass, has been due to the multiprong expansion in neurosurgical training within the continent and an increasing tendency to collaborate across centers. This expansion in training has also extended to the supporting specialties involved in the care of these patients. There doubtlessly remains some disparity across the regions in terms of epidemiology, surveillance, workforce distribution, diagnostic capacity, availability of intraoperative adjuncts, perioperative care, and access to adjuvant therapy, which present varying challenges; the continent is unequivocally tracking positively in terms of improved surgical safety and the general care of patients with brain and spinal cord tumors. This overview synthesizes recent evidence on brain and spinal cord tumor burden and the surgical management of the tumors, contextualizing this with regard to the workforce capacity and available infrastructure, and then attempts to proffer practical strategies and solutions to improve outcomes such as regional training, harmonized guidelines, and scalable technology.