Highlights from the 4th PALOP-AORTIC Conference on Cancer, 29–31 July 2020, Luanda, Angola

Santos, Lúcio Lara; Miguel, Fernando; Túlsidas, Satish; Spencer, Hirondina Borges; Rodrigues, Belmira; Lopes, Lygia Vieira; Freitas, Helga

The 4th Países Africanos de Língua Oficial Portuguesa (PALOP)-African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) Conference on Cancer was held in July 2020 in Luanda, Angola, under the theme: ‘Training to better care’. It was hosted by the Ministry of Health of Angola and AORTIC. It was held virtually using an online platform. The PALOP organisation comprises Lusophone African countries. The conference brought together 360 delegates from 12 countries. Key themes covered during the conference included: Instruments for Proficient Cancer Control in PALOP, oncology education and training in PALOP, CanScreen5—International Agency for Research on Cancer platform to improve quality in tracking cancer, International Gynecologic Cancer Society—Global Curriculum and Mentorship Programme, Oncology Training/Intervention—Support Programmes, Telepathology and Cancer: Challenges and Opportunities, Cancer Burden in PALOP region and Sub-Saharan Africa, Breast Cancer—The current situation in PALOP and The African Breast Cancer Coalition—Disparities in outcomes study in PALOP Countries (ABC-DO-PALOP) study: a proposal. It has been demonstrated that the collaboration and exchange of experiences between African countries and amongst PALOP, in particular, are crucial, whether in the organisation of population-based cancer registries, in the realization of national oncology plans, in the creation of therapeutic recommendations and in strengthening capacities in radiotherapy, amongst other important topics in oncology. The PALOP oncology school will be a fundamental training tool to be administered for better care for cancer patients.