Group | Cancer Disparities

Cancer is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality: about 1 in 5 people will develop cancer in their lifetime (WHO). The causes of cancer are multifactorial and most cancer deaths are avoidable, either by prevention or treatment. Stark cancer inequities exist within and between regions, disproportionally affecting socially and socio-economically disadvantaged people. The Cancer Disparities group conducts high quality research at the intersection of cancer and HIV on a global scale.

Our research activities span from assessing the burden of cancer in populations living with HIV, to improving quality of and access to health care as well as to critically assessing and synthesising the evidence for cancer prevention and treatment. We use probabilistic record linkage methods to bridge data silos from routine care, to inform cancer incidence, risk factors and access to care in people living with HIV. We conduct diagnostic test accuracy studies to determine the accuracy of screening methods for cervical pre-cancer in women living with HIV in low-resource settings. Our work informs clinical and public health practice through clinical guidelines and policy briefs.

For this purpose, we collaborate with international partners in South Africa (National Cancer Registry), Zambia (Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, CIDRZ) and Tanzania (Ifakara Health Institute), as well as international research organisations. We also work with partners in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Mozambique and Lesotho.

We strengthen capacity by training PhD students jointly supervised by Swiss TPH staff and international partners, and we foster mutual learning through joint teaching and training activities.

Our research generates impact at clinical and public health level and our group members have received awards and prizes for their research.