NCCN Celebrates Expanding Access to Cancer Treatment in Africa at 2025 AORTIC Meeting with New NCCN Adaptations for Sub-Saharan Africa
Updated cancer treatment guidelines reflect significant progress in cancer care delivery through ongoing collaborative efforts to strengthen oncology resources across the region.
HAMMAMET, Tunisia, Nov. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®)—an alliance of leading cancer centers in the United States—collaborated with the African Cancer Coalition and the American Cancer Society to describe how cancer treatment guidelines have evolved across Sub-Saharan Africa in recent years, during the biannual African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) gathering in Hammamet, Tunisia. As part of the event, the African Cancer Coalition, American Cancer Society, and NCCN are showcasing the transition from harmonized clinical practice guidelines to the new International Adaptations of NCCN Guidelines for Sub-Saharan Africa, representing how much progress has been made in cancer care access across the region.
The NCCN Global Program has been working with the American Cancer Society, the African Cancer Coalition, and other groups since 2017. That year, the organizations jointly announced the launch of NCCN Harmonized Guidelines™ for Sub-Saharan Africa driven by the leadership of the African Cancer Coalition. Those resources—based on the trusted NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) that cancer care providers worldwide rely on—used color-coding to represent both the optimal care that low- and mid-resource countries aspire to provide and pragmatic approaches for effective treatment options for resource-constrained settings.
By 2019, NCCN Harmonized Guidelines™ for Sub-Saharan Africa included evidence-based, expert consensus-driven recommendations for prevention, detection, treatment, and supportive care for nearly every cancer type in the region. As cancer care in the region has progressed, these resources have transitioned into NCCN International Adaptations—the same regionally-tailored reference tools used by other regions around the world. There are currently 57 NCCN Guidelines for Sub-Saharan Africa in total.
"Health ministries and care providers across Sub-Saharan Africa have worked tirelessly to expand access, build capacity, and implement evidence-based care," said Katy Winckworth-Prejsnar, MPH, Global Program Director, NCCN. "This transition to NCCN Adaptations reflects the progress and affirms the many ways this region is advancing toward higher quality cancer care for all."
Winckworth-Prejsnar presented an abstract on behalf of the coalition at AORTIC showcasing that progress. From 2017-2024, the amount of inaccessible treatment options decreased from 82% to 54%. This indicated significant expansion in access to imaging techniques, biomarker testing, radiation, and systemic therapy for people in the region.
"Many therapies and technologies that were once out of reach are now becoming standard options—thanks to the ongoing dedication of local clinicians, governments, and global partners committed to improving cancer outcomes across sub-Saharan Africa," Winckworth-Prejsnar noted. "Still, more work is needed; the NCCN Adaptations for Sub-Saharan Africa represent a foundation to continue to expand access to essential treatments throughout the region."
The NCCN Adaptations for Sub-Saharan Africa are available for free at NCCN.org/adaptations or via the Virtual Library of NCCN Guidelines® App.
For more information plus access to other region-specific resources for providers, patients, and caregivers in various languages, visit NCCN.org/global.
About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) is marking 30 years as a not-for-profit alliance of leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to defining and advancing quality, effective, equitable, and accessible cancer care and prevention so all people can live better lives. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) provide transparent, evidence-based, expert consensus-driven recommendations for cancer treatment, prevention, and supportive services; they are the recognized standard for clinical direction and policy in cancer management and the most thorough and frequently-updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients® provide expert cancer treatment information to inform and empower patients and caregivers, through support from the NCCN Foundation®. NCCN also advances continuing education, global initiatives, policy, and research collaboration and publication in oncology.
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