Progress Report on AORTIC 1983 – 1991

Scientific meetings

November 11, 1985: First AORTIC scientific meeting held at the African Headquarters of the World Health Organisation, Brazzaville, Congo; attended by 61 participants from various African countries, as well as by Dr. J.F. Holland, USA.

October 30 – November 3, 1989: Second AORTIC scientific meeting held at the Hotel Intercontinental, Kinshasa, Zaire (now Republic of Congo); 80 abstracts published; about 70 presentations in English or French; participants came from 28 countries (from all parts of Africa, from USA, Canada, Sweden and France). Regrettably, this was to be the last AORTIC scientific meeting.

Clinical Trials

February 1987 – February 1989: Multicentre (in 5 countries) randomised study of the treatment of primary liver cancer in Africa with 2 anthracycline drugs (sponsored by Farmitalia). The results were presented at the AORTIC Scientific Session of the International Congress on Neo-Adjuvant Chemotherapy, February 6-9, 1991, Paris, France.

Other planned studies included:

• A study of quality of life in hepatocellular carcinoma (led by Dr. Charles Olweny)
• Hepatitis B Immunisation Programmes in various Africa countries (in collaboration with WHO and International Task Force on Hepatitis B immunisation).
• Study of early detection of carcinoma of the cervix (in Zimbabwe).
• Study of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: a comparison of chemotherapy (Epirubicin vs Radiotherapy) in Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
• Study of AIDS related Kaposi’s Sarcoma (XRT vs Chemotherapy)

Publications

• Manual of Early Detection of Cancer (prepared by Dr. T. Solanke of Nigeria, and reviewed by Dr. J.F. Holland).
• Manual of Oncology for African countries (prepared by Oncology Committee in Harare)
• AORTIC Newsletter: prepared by AORTIC secretariat
• Journal of Oncology in Developing Countries (to ease the difficulty of publication of results of research carried out in Africa – which often may not interest the mainstream publishers in the West).