Cancer Control in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Abstract

Background: Cancer is also referred to as malignant tumor or neoplasm. It is one of the leading causes of death on the global scale. The knowledge and tools to manage and even cure cancer patients exist in developed countries but are unavailable to many who live in the developing world, resulting in unnecessary loss of life. Strategies are needed to close the gap between developed and developing countries in cancer survival and the effects of the disease on human suffering. It is also pertinent to bridge the gap to ensure universal health coverage which is very important to achieve the sustainable development goals. Aim: The aim of this abstract is to review the barrier to cancer control in developing world especially the low-and middle-income countries. Method: Selected papers amounting to 79 papers in PubMed from 2007 to 2017 were used from peer-reviewed literature and relevant publicly available documents with the appropriate keywords searched. Results: In spite of significant limitations in the available data, it is clear there are substantial barriers to access to cancer control in developing countries and also substantial limitations in the quality of cancer control and a great need to improve economic efficiency. Cancer is low or absent on the health agendas of low- and middle-income countries (LMCs) despite the fact that more people die of cancer in these countries than from AIDS and malaria combined. International health organizations, bilateral aid agencies, and major foundations which are instrumental in setting health priorities also have largely ignored cancer in these countries. Conclusion: and recommendations: There is an urgent need to improve health services for cancer control in developing countries to ensure health equity which is one of the key areas to be addressed in other to achieve sustainable development goals. Current resources and much-needed investments must be optimally managed. To achieve this, recommended investment should be focused in the following key priorities: capacity building in oncology health services research, policy and planning relevant to developing countries, development of high-quality health data sources, more oncology-related economic evaluations in developing countries, exploration of high-quality models of cancer control in developing countries. Meeting these needs will require national, regional and international collaboration as well as political leadership. Horizontal integration with programs for other diseases will be important.