Expanding Cancer Treatment in the Developing World

By Laura Duncan on 02/24/2011 @ 03:52 PM

Only a decade ago the public health community had serious doubts about the possibility of providing HIV treatment in the developing world. But the targeted strategies of the past few years have shown that treatment is not only a possibility but a reality. Could fighting cancer be the next step?

As a result of an expanding and ageing population, as well as the reduction in deaths due to infectious diseases, there has been a significant increase in the number of cancer deaths in developing countries. In 1970, 15% of newly reported cases of cancer were in the developing world. This number has now increased to 56%, and is expected to reach 70% by 2030. Countries of low and middle income account for 80% of the disability-adjusted life-years lost to cancer worldwide.

The Global Task Force on Expanded Access to Cancer Care and Control in Developing Countries was formed in 2009 with the goal of proposing, implementing and evaluating strategies to advance cancer treatments in the developing world. In an article in the public health Journal The Lancet , the members of this Global Task Force put forth arguments for scaling up prevention and treatment and pointed out successful strategies for preventing and treating cancer.

The reasons against scaling up cancer treatments today are very similar to the ones presented a decade ago against HIV treatments. Critics doubted the possibility of increasing complex care in weak health systems and thought that antiretroviral treatment and tuberculosis therapy were impractical and not sufficiently cost effective. These arguments were proved wrong by successful strategies focused on deployment of primary and secondary caregivers, use of off-patent drugs and application of regional and global mechanisms for financing and procurement.

Critics also cite the lack of specialists and specialty centers as a barrier to cancer treatments in countries with weak health systems. This limitation can be overcome by the provision of treatment by local physicians and nurse teams with the support and training from remote facilities. This strategy has been very successful in countries like Malawi, Rwanda and Haiti. Another strategy that the Global Task Force members suggest is the inclusion of cancer treatment in national health insurance programs, such as was done in Mexico and Colombia. Finally, they point to the King Hussein Cancer Center in Jordan as an example of expansion of access to treatment through a national center of excellence.

The members of the Global Task Force believe there is no such thing as a rich person’s disease. With smart and innovative strategies, it is possible to overcome deficiencies in health systems and to provide affordable treatment for those in the developing world. This results in stronger communities around the world, improving our national security and the global economy.

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