Center for Global Oncology Co-Leads AHPBCC 2025 in Johannesburg

February 2026

The Africa HepatoPancreatoBiliary Cancer Consortium (AHPBCC) held its fourth annual scientific conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, from August 12 to 16. The meeting convened oncologists, gastroenterologists, surgeons, pathologists, radiologists and cancer biologists to address the growing burden of hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) cancers in Africa, where disease often presents earlier and outcomes remain disproportionately poor. 

The program advanced research on key risk factors, strengthened cross-continental collaborations, and emphasized practical strategies to reduce mortality and improve patient outcomes. Lifang Hou, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Global Oncology at the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health, and Lewis Roberts, MB, ChB, PhD, faculty at Mayo Clinic, co-organized the conference, bringing together speakers from leading institutions across Africa, the United States and Europe. 

The Africa HepatoPancreatoBiliary Cancer Consortium (AHPBCC) held its fourth annual scientific conference in August in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Northwestern representation and capacity building

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine participants included Hou, Brian Joyce, PhD, and Elizabeth Christian, MPPA. Northwestern also sponsored registration and travel for 10 junior researchers from partner institutions in Nigeria and Uganda, reinforcing a core commitment to training and capacity building. 

Research highlights and new collaborations 

• Joyce presented Center for Global Oncology research linking Helicobacter pylori infection to liver cancer risk, drawing on U.S. cohorts and a pilot study in Bamako, Mali. The work examines potential interactions with race (U.S.), hepatitis co-infection and strain-specific virulence factors—prompting interest from research leaders in four African countries to join an expanded study. 
• Christian engaged trainees and partners at the center’s table and shared current Center for Global Oncology research. The meeting also supported progress on an ongoing, cell-free DNA biomarker study for liver cancer, with two additional study sites added. 

Northwestern trainees: presentations and leadership 

Two early-career investigators mentored by Hou shared new findings: 

• Uchenna Ijoma, FMCP, MBBS, professor at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, presented a poster on multidisciplinary team (MDT) management for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Nigeria, highlighting gaps in MDT availability—even at tertiary hospitals—that contribute to fragmented care, delayed diagnosis and poorer outcomes. The work calls for stronger data collection and standardized treatment guidelines. 

• Ifeorah Ijeoma PhD, assistant professor at the University of Nigeria Center for Excellence for Clinical Trials, presented findings on dual HBV/HDV infection in Nigeria. Among 323 patients, those with HBV-associated HCC showed significantly higher HDV antibody levels, suggesting HDV may be an important driver of Nigeria’s liver cancer burden. Ijeoma was nominated to a committee role to help lead planning for the 2026 meeting in Nigeria. 

A growing collaborative network 

The conference welcomed colleagues from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, the University of Jos, the University of Nigeria and other partner institutions across Nigeria and additional African countries—further strengthening a shared network committed to improving outcomes for HPB cancers throughout the continent.

The Center for Global Oncology is a shared center with the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and Havey Institute for Global Health.   

Lifang Hou, MD, PhD, and Brian Joyce, PhD, are members of the Havey Institute for Global Health. Hou is also a member of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM), Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS). 

For details on events, news and funding opportunities, sign up for the Havey Institute for Global Health newsletter.