Delivering Hope
The situation is particularly dire in the developing world. In 1970, only 15 percent of new cancer cases occurred in the developing world. Currently, over half of new cancer cases and almost two-thirds of cancer deaths now occur in low-income and middle-income countries, and the burden is expected to grow. By 2030, it is estimated that 70 percent of the global cancer burden will be borne by the developing world.
Many cancers are either preventable or treatable for those with means, but are still killing those without resources to fight the disease. Like other diseases such as drug-resistant TB or HIV/AIDS, cancer has traditionally been viewed as too complicated and costly to be treated. Historically, the dominant perception of cancer control was that treatment regimens were too complex, patients were uncooperative and treatment was a bad choice for resource allocation.
We now know that these barriers can be overcome and people in even the most remote and challenging settings can receive the care they deserve. Effective and affordable strategies exist for each stage of the comprehensive cancer control continuum for countries at all stages of development. Furthermore, existing health systems designed to address communicable and other disease problems in low resource countries can be leveraged to implement cancer control campaigns and interventions.
Delivering Hope: Cancer Care in the Developing World: A LIVESTRONG Brief includes case studies from Rwanda and Jordan describing how existing health systems designed to treat infectious diseases in low-income countries can be strengthened to address the urgent and growing cancer needs of developing populations. Recommendations included in the brief focus on interventions that will be the most effective and have the biggest impact on quality of life and survival.
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