Introduction and Aim: Africa alone accounts for almost 49% of positive cases of esophageal cancer worldwide. Despite being a well-known cause of cancer, the precise amount of tobacco use including its type, mode, and intensity that contributes to the risk of esophageal cancer in African populations has not been thoroughly determined.
Methods and analysis: This protocol is written following recommendations from the PRISMA Protocols 2015 statement. All studies published before January 2024 will be searched using comprehensive search strings through EMBASE, Medline/PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Central, and African online journal databases that have reported the association between tobacco use and the risk of esophageal cancer in Africa. RevMan software will be used to compute a pooled estimate using a random effects model. We will take into account subgroup analysis and meta-regression for esophageal cancer, smoking patterns, geographic location, and study design type.
Ethics and dissemination: This study, based on published data, will inform policy, practice, and research by providing information on the role of smoking in the etiology of esophageal cancer among the African population. Summary tables of evidence from individual studies will be used to present the findings. The systematic review's final report will be presented at conferences, submitted to leading clinicians and other healthcare professionals in the National Health Service, and published in a peer-reviewed journal in the form of a scientific article. CRD42023453871 is the registration number of this review protocol.