It is well established that access to preventative care, such as breast or cervical cancer screening, can reduce morbidity and mortality. Certain groups may be missed out of these healthcare services, such as women with disabilities, as they face many access barriers due to underlying inequalities and negative attitudes. However, the data have not been reviewed on whether women with disabilities face inequalities in the uptake of these services. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to compare the uptake of breast and cervical cancer screening in women with and without disabilities. A search was conducted in July 2021 across four databases: PubMed, MEDLINE, Global Health, and CINAHL. Quantitative studies comparing the uptake of breast or cervical cancer screening between women with and without disabilities were eligible. Twenty-nine studies were included, all from high-income settings. One third of the 29 studies (34.5%, n = 10) were deemed to have a high risk of bias, and the remainder a low risk of bias. The pooled estimates showed that women with disabilities have 0.78 (95% CI: 0.72–0.84) lower odds of attending breast cancer screening and have 0.63 (95% CI: 0.45–0.88) lower odds of attending cervical cancer screening, compared to women without disabilities. In conclusion, women with disabilities face disparities in receipt of preventative cancer care. There is consequently an urgent need to evaluate and improve the inclusivity of cancer screening programs and thereby prevent avoidable morbidity and mortality.

Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide. A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study—a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital. Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3·85 [95% CI 2·58–5·75]; p<0·0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63·0% vs 82·7%; OR 0·35 [0·23–0·53]; p<0·0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer. Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised. National Institute for Health and Care Research.

Adebayo Feranmi Falola, Oluwasina Samuel Dada, Ademola Adeyeye, Chioma Ogechukwu Ezebialu, Rhoda Tolulope Fadairo, Madeleine Oluomachi Okere, Abdourahmane Ndong. Journal of Minimally Invasive Surgery 2024;27:142-55. https://doi.org/10.7602/jmis.2024.27.3.142

Introduction: Abdominal surgical emergencies remain prevalent in various healthcare settings, particularly in regions with limited access to basic surgical care, such as Africa. The aim of this literature review is to systematically assess publications on abdominal surgical emergencies in adults in sub-Saharan Africa to estimate their prevalence and mortality rate.Methodology: A systematic review was conducted. The latest search was performed on October 31, 2022. We estimated the pooled prevalence with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for each abdominal surgical emergency, as well as overall postoperative mortality and morbidity rates.Results: A total of 78 studies were included, and 55.1% were single-center retrospective and monocentric studies. The mean age of the patients was 32.5 years, with a sex ratio of 1.94. The prevalence of each abdominal surgical emergency among all of them was as follows: appendicitis: 30.0% (95% CI: 26.1–33.9); bowel obstruction: 28.6% (95% CI: 25.3–31.8); peritonitis: 26.6% (95% CI: 22.2–30.9); strangulated hernias: 13,4% (95% CI: 10,3–16,5) and abdominal trauma: 9.4% (95% CI: 7.5–11.3). The prevalence of complications was as follows: mortality rate: 7.4% (95% CI: 6.0-8.8); overall postoperative morbidity: 24.2% (95% CI: 19.4–29.0); and surgical site infection 14.4% (95% CI: 10.86–18.06).Conclusion: Our study revealed a high prevalence of postoperative complications associated with abdominal surgical emergencies in sub-Saharan Africa. More research and efforts should be made to improve access and quality of patient care.