Priorities for cancer research and innovation in Low- and middle-income countries

Abstract

The World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high-income. For this purpose, it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita data in U.S. dollars, converted from local currency using the World Bank Atlas (Figure 1), which is applied to smooth exchange rate fluctuations (1). Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) were identified as one major challenge to sustainable development in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Most deaths globally are now due to NCDs, with cancer being responsible for at least 20 % of all mortality (2). Although the overall incidence of cancer is lower in LMICs compared with high-income countries (HICs), total cancer-related mortality is significantly higher in LMICs, especially for people ≤65 years of age; the more significant economic impact because of premature mortality and lost years of productivity is a particular problem for these limited resources environments (3). In 2020, 75 % of all global deaths attributable to NCDs, including cancer, occurred in LMICs, with nearly 50 % of deaths considered to be premature (4,5).