AfrECC

About AfrECC

The African Esophageal Cancer Consortium (AfrECC) is dedicated to reducing the burden of esophageal cancer in Africa through clinical care, education, prevention and research. The African Esophageal Cancer Consortium was formed in 2016 after a meeting at the National Cancer Institute exposed the needs of patients in eastern and southern Africa who had an unusually high incidence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Prior to AfrECC’s formation there was much less known about causes and management of ESCC in Africa and there was minimal cooperation between leading medical centers in the region. The list of AfrECC achievements so far includes the conduct of seven coordinated epidemiologic studies to identify modifiable ESCC risk factors; preliminary clinical studies needed to design and develop early detection and treatment strategies; evaluation of the barriers to care for patients with ESCC; over a dozen hands-on courses to train physicians in the management and palliation of ESCC which has led to improvement in quality of life of a large number of patients with esophageal cancer; and publication of more than 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals. The AfrECC Foundation was formed in 2024 to support the efforts of AfrECC.