US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, WHO.

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Although the value of blitz surgery in meeting some of the surgical needs of otherwise neglected communities is undeniable, the author seeks to provoke a sober reexamination of these efforts vis-à-vis the long-term sustainability of such programs, with the objective of harnessing strengths that would see the evolution of a new reconstructive surgical service tailor-made for Africa--affordable and sustainable yet able to deliver quality surgical care to the remotest villages. Otherwise, these humanitarian efforts' will continue to be 'drops in the ocean, meeting the needs of a few in the community but resulting in no long-term gains.

Cutaneous malignancies are the most common malignancies in Whites; traditionally considered rare among Blacks, their occurrence in sub-Saharan Africa is yet to be fully characterized.Data on specimens submitted between 1992 and April 2008 on all histologically proven primary cutaneous malignancies were collected from the Pathology Department, including patient age, sex, anatomic site of malignancy, and histologic diagnosis. There were 1900 patients with primary cutaneous malignancies, aged between 8 months and 110 years, with a mean age of 49 years. There were 14 different types of malignancies found, with squamous cell carcinoma representing 45% of the total. A number of the rarer types have not been reported previously, from this region.Cutaneous malignancies in Africa present a number of management challenges including the following: difficulties in early diagnosis in the dark skin, late presentation, access to treatment, and the ability to pay for the appropriate treatment. The current human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome scourge on the continent may lead a significant increase in cutaneous malignancies, posing even bigger challenges.