AI and digital health for childhood cancer care in Ghana

doi:10.1038/s43856-025-01047-7

. 2025 Aug 9;5(1):344.

doi: 10.1038/s43856-025-01047-7.

AI and digital health for childhood cancer care in Ghana

Eric Ny Nyarko^#¹, Sheila Santa^#², Patrick Diaba-Nuhoho^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Pathology, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana.
² Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
³ Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus at TUD, Dresden, Germany. patrick.diaba-nuhoho@tu-dresden.de.
⁴ Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany. patrick.diaba-nuhoho@tu-dresden.de.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 40781166
PMCID: PMC12334717
DOI: 10.1038/s43856-025-01047-7

AI and digital health for childhood cancer care in Ghana

Eric Ny Nyarko et al. Commun Med (Lond). 2025.

. 2025 Aug 9;5(1):344.

doi: 10.1038/s43856-025-01047-7.

Authors

Eric Ny Nyarko^#¹, Sheila Santa^#², Patrick Diaba-Nuhoho^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Pathology, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana.
² Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
³ Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus at TUD, Dresden, Germany. patrick.diaba-nuhoho@tu-dresden.de.
⁴ Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany. patrick.diaba-nuhoho@tu-dresden.de.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 40781166
PMCID: PMC12334717
DOI: 10.1038/s43856-025-01047-7

Abstract

Childhood cancer poses a serious challenge to public health in Ghana. Here, the use of AI and digital health tools for childhood cancer care management is explored

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

**Fig. 1. Approximate figures of paediatric cancer cases in Ghana.**
The most common cancers in Ghanaian children and includes lymphoma (16%), leukemia (19%), retinoblastoma (30%), and about 10 others (35%).

**Fig. 2. AI and Digital Health tools currently in use in Ghana.**
Illustration of AI and digital tools that are integrated to create a unified and efficient system for childhood cancer in Ghana.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. Kattner, P. et al. Compare and contrast: pediatric cancer versus adult malignancies. Cancer Metastasis Rev.38, 673–682 (2019). - PubMed
1. Sung, H. et al. Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J. Clin.71, 209–249 (2021). - PubMed
1. The Lancet Diabetes, E. Childhood cancer survival: a gap in need of closing. Lancet Diab. Endocrinol.10, 149 (2022). - PubMed
1. Wu, Y. et al. Global, regional, and national childhood cancer burden, 1990-2019: An analysis based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. J. Adv. Res.40, 233–247 (2022). - PMC - PubMed
1. Namayandeh, S. M., Khazaei, Z., Lari Najafi, M., Goodarzi, E. & Moslem, A. GLOBAL Leukemia in Children 0-14 Statistics 2018, Incidence and Mortality and Human Development Index (HDI): GLOBOCAN Sources and Methods. Asian Pac. J. Cancer Prev.21, 1487–1494 (2020). - PMC - PubMed

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[1] Kattner, P. et al. Compare and contrast: pediatric cancer versus adult malignancies. Cancer Metastasis Rev.38, 673–682 (2019). - PubMed

[2] Kattner, P. et al. Compare and contrast: pediatric cancer versus adult malignancies. Cancer Metastasis Rev.38, 673–682 (2019). - PubMed

[3] Sung, H. et al. Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J. Clin.71, 209–249 (2021). - PubMed

[4] Sung, H. et al. Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J. Clin.71, 209–249 (2021). - PubMed

[5] The Lancet Diabetes, E. Childhood cancer survival: a gap in need of closing. Lancet Diab. Endocrinol.10, 149 (2022). - PubMed

[6] The Lancet Diabetes, E. Childhood cancer survival: a gap in need of closing. Lancet Diab. Endocrinol.10, 149 (2022). - PubMed

[7] Wu, Y. et al. Global, regional, and national childhood cancer burden, 1990-2019: An analysis based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. J. Adv. Res.40, 233–247 (2022). - PMC - PubMed

[8] Wu, Y. et al. Global, regional, and national childhood cancer burden, 1990-2019: An analysis based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. J. Adv. Res.40, 233–247 (2022). - PMC - PubMed

[9] Namayandeh, S. M., Khazaei, Z., Lari Najafi, M., Goodarzi, E. & Moslem, A. GLOBAL Leukemia in Children 0-14 Statistics 2018, Incidence and Mortality and Human Development Index (HDI): GLOBOCAN Sources and Methods. Asian Pac. J. Cancer Prev.21, 1487–1494 (2020). - PMC - PubMed

[10] Namayandeh, S. M., Khazaei, Z., Lari Najafi, M., Goodarzi, E. & Moslem, A. GLOBAL Leukemia in Children 0-14 Statistics 2018, Incidence and Mortality and Human Development Index (HDI): GLOBOCAN Sources and Methods. Asian Pac. J. Cancer Prev.21, 1487–1494 (2020). - PMC - PubMed

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AI and digital health for childhood cancer care in Ghana

Affiliations

AI and digital health for childhood cancer care in Ghana

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Abstract

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