Launch of the imPACT Review South Africa with Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi. (Photo: National Department of Health)
The review, requested by the National Department of Health (NDoH) and conducted by the IAEA, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), supports the country's commitment to improving the quality and reach of cancer services in response to a growing disease burden.
"This review comes at a critical moment," said South Africa's Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi. "We are working to build a resilient, people-centred health system, that is capable of addressing both immediate demands and long-term priorities, including non-communicable diseases. The imPACT review provides an opportunity for honest reflection, constructive engagement, and strategic alignment to identify gaps, address bottlenecks, and prioritise interventions."
The international team assessed national capacities and needs across the cancer continuum - from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care. It also identified opportunities for partnerships, resource mobilization and areas where further support could be provided by the IAEA, IARC and WHO.
The findings are expected to support South Africa's engagement with global cancer initiatives, including the IAEA Rays of Hope initiative , WHO's Global Breast Cancer Initiative and Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer and IARC's Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development.
WHO Representative in South Africa Shenaaz El-Halabi highlighted the importance and practical value of the review. "South Africa's request for the imPACT Review is a strong signal of national leadership, transparency and commitment to accelerate progress against cancer," she said.
In Mthatha, the imPACT team met with staff at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital to discuss training curricula and related opportunities (Photo: L. Haskins, IAEA)
Multidisciplinary Collaboration to Address Priority Cancers
The review focused on cancers of high public health relevance in South Africa, namely cervical, breast, childhood, prostate, colorectal and lung cancers. According to IARC, South Africa records over 111,000 new cancer cases and 64,000 cancer-related deaths each year.
"Around 40 per cent of cancers in South Africa are linked to modifiable risk factors, and many cases are still diagnosed at an advanced stage," said Andre Carvalho, Deputy Branch Head for Early Detection, Prevention, and Infections at IARC. "Prevention and early detection are the most powerful and cost-effective tools to decrease the cancer burden. We commend South Africa for placing cancer prevention and early detection at the centre of its national cancer control response."
The in-country mission was carried out from 4 to 8 May by a multidisciplinary team working closely with national counterparts.
Experts came from countries that had previously undergone imPACT Reviews, fostering regional cooperation and the exchange of practical experience and lessons learned.
The mission also benefited from collaboration of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through the IAEA-St. Jude partnership, enabling an in-depth analysis of paediatric oncology services.
"It was wonderful to witness on site how the local champions across the Department of Health, facilities and civil society organizations are deeply committed to addressing the needs of children and adolescents," noted international expert Catherine Lam, Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Childhood Cancer at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "With the St. Jude Global Alliance hub based in Johannesburg, we look forward to supporting the National Department of Health, WHO and partners to strengthen implementation of the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer and deliver quality care for every child and young person facing cancer."
During the mission, the team visited hospitals, cancer registries, research centres and nuclear medicine facilities across the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Western Cape provinces, including the Steve Biko Academic Hospital and the Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI), which together function as an IAEA Rays of Hope Anchor Centre .
"The imPACT review highlights South Africa's commendable progress in expanding equitable and sustainable access to cancer care," said May Abdel-Wahab, IAEA Director of the Division of Human Health. "We recognize South Africa's vital leadership in building radiation medicine capacity and strengthening cancer care services for countries in the region for decades."
A national stakeholder consultation brought together more than 30 representatives from government, civil society, clinical institutions, and international partners to validate preliminary findings.
The team visited key institutions across three regions , including a mobile screening clinic in Eastern Cape. (Photo: L. Haskins, IAEA)
Supporting Evidence-Based Planning and Investment
The Review was conducted as South Africa moves to develop a new National Cancer Control Plan that will be informed by the findings. It also identified priority areas for future IAEA technical cooperation and highlighted priorities for strategic investment.
The assessment examined key components of cancer care including workforce capacity, pathology services and cancer registries. It also reviewed cancer treatment services including surgical, medical and radiation oncology, as well as regulatory infrastructure, radioactive waste management and radiopharmaceutical services.
The mission concluded with a high-level debrief of preliminary findings and recommendations to the Minister of Health.
About imPACT Reviews
imPACT Reviews assess a country's cancer control capacities, needs and identify priority interventions to effectively respond to its cancer burden. They support Member States in their efforts to improve comprehensive cancer control in their country.
