Description:
The Africa HepatoPancreatoBiliary Cancer Consortium (AHPBCC) will establish, develop, and support the efforts of a highly skilled network of liver, pancreatic, and biliary tract cancer researchers, and clinicians on the African continent and worldwide. These rapidly fatal malignancies have a poorly understood etiology and biology and are often diagnosed at a late stage after the primary tumor has spread to adjacent or distant organs, precluding curative therapy. In Africa, there are higher incidences and mortality for these cancers than in America, Asia, or Europe. There are significant limitations to the advancement of HepatoPancreatoBiliary cancer research in Africa, which include limited continuous training in emerging research among clinicians and scientists, limited diagnostic capabilities, and modest resources allocated to the liver, biliary and pancreatic cancer research. There is an urgent need to harness the collective expertise and resources in the United States, Europe, and Asia with African investigators. This team will expand the overall knowledge of these cancers by fostering collaborations among researchers, establishing a framework for the efficient conduct and publication of original pooled analysis, providing a forum and framework for discussion, development, and pursuit of new research directions, and supporting the development of early career researchers.