Molecular Epidemiology and Histopathological Classifications of Lung Cancer in Africa: A Scoping Review Protocol

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionLung cancer is a leading cause of death globally and an emerging epidemic in Africa. Recent advances in molecular biomarkers and understanding of the cancer epidemiology and population-based genomic profile for early detection, diagnosis and treatment show promise in reducing incidence and mortality rate. However, this is lacking in Africa. The main objective of this scoping review is to map the evidence on lung cancer molecular epidemiology, genomic profile, and histopathological distributions in Africa.Methods and analysisThis review will be guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and Levac et al.’s recommendation for methodological enhancement for scoping review studies. A search for keywords from scientific databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, EBSCOhost, SCOPUS and Google Scholar) and grey literature will be conducted for evidence on the molecular epidemiology and histopathological classifications of lung cancer in Africa. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)-Scoping Review Extension guidelines will be used to report screened results. We will use the PRISMA-ScR checklist to ensure the study adheres to sound methodological rigour acceptable for scoping reviews. The study’s search strategy will include Boolean terms (‘AND’ and ‘OR’) and Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms.Ethics and disseminationThis review will not include animal or human participants. Ethics approval and consent to participate are not applicable. Findings of this scoping review will be disseminated via electronic/social media, conferences, meetings with stakeholders and peer-review publications.Strengths and limitations of the study▸This review will be the first to identify and map evidence that assesses the molecular epidemiological diversity and histopathological distributions of lung cancer in Africa.▸The summary of evidence obtained from relevant studies in the African context will help understand the genetic diversity of lung cancer among high-risk heterogenous African populations and guide future research towards early detection and targeted therapy in the African context.▸The review will include all available studies in the literature with no time or language restrictions. Thus, studies published in languages apart from English will be translated using an online tool.▸There will be no quality appraisal of the included studies.