Mapping evidence on ovarian, endometrial, vaginal, and vulva cancer research in Africa : a scoping review protocol
Date
2021-04-14
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC (part of Springer Nature)
Abstract
Background: Globally, cancer is generally recognized as a developmental threat yet most countries in Africa lack
capacity to diagnose cancer especially gynecological cancers resulting in late detection and poor outcomes.
However, most studies on gynecological cancers in Africa tend to focus on cervical cancer compared to the other
gynecological cancers. Therefore, this scoping review will aim to describe the existing literature on the
epidemiological burden of ovarian, endometrial, vaginal, and vulva cancers, their risk factors, and potential
screening methods/techniques in Africa to identify priority research gaps for further research to inform health
policy decisions.
Methods: The framework promulgated by Arksey and O’Malley and improved by Levac et al. will be used as a
guide for this scoping review. A comprehensive search for relevant published studies in PubMed, CINAHL, SCOPUS,
Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect with no date limitation to the last search date. The database search strategy will
include keywords, Boolean operators, and medical subject heading terms. We will additionally consult the WHO/
IARC website, IHME/Global Burden of Disease Study. A snowball approach will also be used to search the reference
list of all included studies to obtain relevant papers for possible inclusion in this review. We will include articles that
involve African countries, focused on ovarian, endometrial, vaginal, and vulva cancers, their risk factors, and
potential screening methods/techniques in any language. We will exclude studies on cervical cancer and other
cancers as well as review articles. The abstracts and full-text selection will be conducted by two independent
reviewers using this review’s eligibility criteria as a guide. All the review selection tools, and the data extraction form
will be pilot tested for accuracy and consistency. The data will be organized into thematic areas, summarized and
the results communicated narratively.
Discussion: It is anticipated that this review will reveal important literature gaps to guide future research to inform
health policy decisions about ovarian, endometrial, and rare gynecological neoplasms in Africa. This review’s
findings will be disseminated via peer review journals, conferences, and other social media such Twitter and
LinkedIn.
Description
CITATION: Ninimiya, S. Y., et al. 2021. Mapping evidence on ovarian, endometrial, vaginal, and vulva cancer research in Africa : a scoping review protocol. Systematic Reviews, 10:108, doi:10.1186/s13643-021-01654-0.
The original publication is available at https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com
The original publication is available at https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com
Keywords
Gynecological cancer -- Research -- Africa, Generative organs, Female -- Cancer -- Research -- Africa, Cancer -- Periodicals -- Reviews -- Africa
Citation
Ninimiya, S. Y., et al. 2021. Mapping evidence on ovarian, endometrial, vaginal, and vulva cancer research in Africa : a scoping review protocol. Systematic Reviews, 10:108, doi:10.1186/s13643-021-01654-0