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Issues in Oncology
Global Cancer Care

Pediatric Cancer Investment Needs and Benefits: Findings From a Commission Created by The Lancet Oncology

Improving care for children with cancer worldwide could bring a triple return on investment and prevent millions of deaths, according to a new Commission report published by Atun et al in The Lancet Oncology. Without additional investment in childhood cancer care, new estimates produced for the...

Issues in Oncology
Gynecologic Cancers
Global Cancer Care

Gynecologic Cancer Screening After a Natural Disaster

Cervical cancer screening rates were significantly affected in the years following the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, according to a report published by Miki et al in PLOS ONE. “Conflicts and disasters, and the social isolation that often follows, have a major impact on health care and lead...

Hepatobiliary Cancer
Global Cancer Care

Trends in Global Rates of Liver Cancer From 1990 to 2017

New research published by Liu et al in the journal Cancer has revealed rising rates of liver cancer around the world, despite advances aimed at preventing the disease; however, some steps towards alleviation have been made due to control of hepatitis. Methods To obtain trends and estimates of liver ...

global cancer care
covid-19

Giuseppe Curigliano, MD, PhD, on How COVID-19 Is Affecting Cancer Care: The View From Italy

Giuseppe Curigliano, MD, PhD, of the University of Milan, talks about how, in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, he and his fellow oncologists have altered the way they treat patients with cancer. Filmed March 24, 2020.

Issues in Oncology
Global Cancer Care
Genomics/Genetics

International Uptake of Molecular Testing Across Tumor Types: Analysis of Eight Countries

In a study reported in JCO Oncology Practice, Chambers et al found that use of molecular testing across tumor types often varied widely in several countries, sometimes reflecting regional differences in the incidence of cancer types. Study Details The study involved the use of aggregated results of ...

Lung Cancer
Global Cancer Care

Trends in Lung Cancer Incidence in Young Women vs Young Men Across 40 Countries

In a systematic analysis of data from 40 countries reported in the International Journal of Cancer, Fidler-Benaoudia et al identified a widespread emergence of higher lung cancer incidence rates in young women vs young men. The trend does not appear to be explained by differences in smoking...

Global Cancer Care

WHO, IARC Release Reports in Response to Government’s Role in Cancer Control

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released two coordinated reports in light of World Cancer Day in response to government calls for more research into the scope and potential policies and programs to improve cancer control. WHO Report...

Global Cancer Care

World Cancer Day 2020: 20th Anniversary of the Global Initiative

Today’s World Cancer Day, led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), aims to mobilize urgent action from individuals, governments, and the global cancer community to close gaps in cancer risk awareness between higher and lower socioeconomic groups and the subsequent impact on their...

Global Cancer Care

Taking Action Against Cancer: Celebrating 20 Years of World Cancer Day

February 4, 2020, will mark the 20th anniversary of World Cancer Day, an annual event meant to raise cancer awareness and encourage governments, oncology societies, nongovernmental organizations, businesses, and individuals to take action against the global impact of the disease. Formed in...

Gynecologic Cancers
Global Cancer Care

Thermal Ablation vs Cryotherapy or Loop Excision in Zambian Women Positive for Cervical Precancer

In the pilot phase of an ongoing randomized trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Pinder et al found that thermal ablation and cryotherapy produced similar treatment success rates in Zambian women positive for cervical precancer on visual inspection with acetic acid. The investigators noted that...

Global Cancer Care

New Alliance Established to Help Improve Cancer Care in Sub-Saharan Africa

IBM, the American Cancer Society (ACS), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) recently announced a new alliance—Allied Against Cancer—to help improve access to high-quality cancer care and treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Alliance...

Issues in Oncology
Global Cancer Care

Affirming Universal Health Care as a Fundamental Human Right

This year’s meeting of the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit: Cancer and Universal Health Coverage, held on October 15–17 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, brought together more than 350 global health leaders, including ministers of health, first ladies, and industry leaders, from 82 countries to discuss how...

Global Cancer Care

Challenging the Global Community to Deliver Equitable Cancer Care for All

For Her Royal Highness Princess Dina Mired of Jordan, ensuring that every patient with cancer receives high-quality care is not an abstract goal—it is personal. Princess Dina saw firsthand the life-and-death differences that access to state-of-the-art oncology care makes in a patient’s life when...

Pancreatic Cancer
Global Cancer Care

Global Burden of Pancreatic Cancer From 1990–2017

The incidence and mortality rates of pancreatic cancer have increased in 195 countries and territories over a 27-year period, according to a systematic analysis performed within the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 and published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. The study is the...

Global Cancer Care

Cancer Survival, Incidence, and Mortality in Seven High-Income Countries From 1995–2014

As reported by Arnold and colleagues in The Lancet Oncology, the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership Cancer Survival in High-Income Countries (SURVMARK-2) project has found general improvement in cancer survival between 1995 and 2014 in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand,...

Breast Cancer
Global Cancer Care

Canadian Cancer Organizations Team Up to Focus on New Approach to Metastatic Breast Cancer

At a press conference at McGill University, Stand Up To Cancer Canada (SU2C Canada), the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) announced the launch of the SU2C Canada Metastatic Breast Cancer Dream Team to pursue the development of a new drug...

issues in oncology
global cancer care

Michael Kenneth Keng, MD, on an ASCO Quality Training Program: 5-Year Review

Michael Kenneth Keng, MD, of the University of Virginia, gives a status update on this international program, and discusses future initiatives which include coaching mentorship and publishing articles on quality care (Abstract 7).

issues in oncology
global cancer care

Global Burden of Pediatric and Adolescent Cancer in 2017

A recent analysis looked at the global burden of pediatric cancer through the lens of years of affected and lost life. This work shows a much greater burden of childhood cancer, placed largely in low- and middle-income countries, than previous estimates. The findings were published in The Lancet...

issues in oncology
global cancer care

WHO Releases Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic

Many governments are making progress in the fight against tobacco, with 5 billion people today living in countries that have introduced smoking bans, warnings on packaging, and other effective tobacco control measures—four times more people than a decade ago. However, a new World Health...

breast cancer
global cancer care

Automated Breast Cancer Detection Assay Using Fine-Needle Aspiration May Aid Patients in Developing Countries

A new laboratory test developed to identify chemical changes to a group of cancer-related genes may be able to accurately detect which breast tumors are cancerous or benign. Such a test could result in a more timely diagnosis of breast cancer for women in developing countries with less access to...

Global Cancer Care

How the ASCO Breakthrough Global Summit Is Bringing Together Innovators to Transform Cancer Care

Earlier this year, ASCO announced plans for its first-ever international meeting, ASCO Breakthrough: A Global Summit for Oncology Innovators, which will be held October 11–13, 2019, in Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting is a joint effort by ASCO and the Thai Society of Clinical Oncology to bring...

Issues in Oncology
Global Cancer Care

Experience the Next Breakthrough in Cancer Care

On the heels of the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago, ASCO is working with leading oncology societies in Thailand, China, Japan, South Korea, and others to convene the world of oncology in Asia. It has been my privilege to serve as Chair of the Co-Host Committee for ASCO’s newest and groundbreaking...

Breast Cancer
Issues in Oncology
Global Cancer Care

Breast Cancer Specialist Focuses on Educational Side of Oncology, Connecting Patients With Cancer Around the World

Internationally renowned breast cancer specialist Daniel A. Vorobiof, MD, was born in Santa Fe, Argentina, a province in the northeastern region of the country that is prone to catastrophic flooding. Asked about any early influences in his desire to pursue a career in medicine, Dr. Vorobiof...

Issues in Oncology
Gynecologic Cancers
Global Cancer Care

Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening Among HIV-Infected Women in Tanzania

Population screening programs and the advent of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination have made cervical cancer largely a preventable disease. Despite these advances, ­cervical cancer remains a leading cause of cancer death for ­women in low- and middle-income countries. A recent study identified...

Breast Cancer
Global Cancer Care

Ghanaian Oncologist Yehoda M. Martei, MD, Seeks Ways to Improve Outcomes in the Developing World

Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women globally. Due to a lack of early interventions, most women in low- and middle-income countries have advanced disease at the time of diagnosis, conferring a grim prognosis. Yehoda M. Martei, MD, of the Department of Medicine,...

Global Cancer Care

Measuring the Burden of Global Cancer as a Tool for Policymakers

The Global Burden of Disease Study was initiated in 1990, commissioned by the World Bank. At that time, the study was conducted mainly by researchers at Harvard and the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then the study has gone through many iterations to its present structure, which is a...

Global Cancer Care

Uniting the Global Cancer Community to Reduce Deaths From Noncommunicable Diseases

It has been well documented that noncommunicable diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, now pose the greatest health threat to people living in low- and middle-income countries, surpassing infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS as the leading cause of death and disability.1...

Global Cancer Care
Issues in Oncology

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and WHO Join Forces to Improve Childhood Cancer Survival Worldwide

A report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) based on data from more than 100 cancer registries in 68 countries shows that from 2001 to 2010, the occurrence of childhood cancer worldwide was 13% more common than in the 1980s.1 In addition, the report’s findings showcase stark...

breast cancer
issues in oncology
global cancer care

ESMO Breast Cancer 2019: ONCOLLEGE-001: Global Survey of HER2 Testing

A global survey of HER2 testing has raised questions about how resources should be spent on potentially lifesaving HER2-targeted therapies for breast cancer, especially in lower-income countries. These results will be presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Breast Cancer...

issues in oncology
global cancer care

Global Incidence of Undiagnosed Pediatric Cancers

Nearly half of all childhood cancers are not being diagnosed globally, according to a new modeling study published by Ward et al in The Lancet Oncology. “Our model suggests that nearly one in two children with cancer are never diagnosed and may die untreated,” said lead...

gynecologic cancer
issues in oncology
global cancer care

Modeling Study of Scaled-up HPV Vaccination and Cervical Cancer Screening

In a modeling study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Simms et al detailed the preventive effects on cervical cancer that could be achieved by scaled-up human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and cervical screening efforts with the aim of disease elimination. The major modeling projections are...

Issues in Oncology
Global Cancer Care

Who I Am and What I Will Do

I am a radiation oncologist from Zambia, where we only have one cancer center offering radiotherapy—and I will beat cancer. This bold statement often evokes a look of surprise. However, if the conversation is allowed to go on, I’ll say cancer is beatable even where resources are thin. I am...

issues in oncology
global cancer care

World Cancer Day 2019: Emphasis on Early Detection

World Cancer Day 2019—February 4—highlights the need for urgent action to increase early-stage cancer detection, screening, and diagnosis to significantly improve patients’ chances of survival. Taking place with the theme of “I Am and I Will,” World Cancer...

Issues in Oncology
Global Cancer Care

Patient Navigation Program Reduces Time to Cancer Treatment

The Global Cancer Institute recently announced the results of its Patient Navigation Program in Mexico City. The average time to referral before the program’s inception was 5 months, but the implementation of patient navigators reduced that average to 7 days. These findings were published by Yanin...

issues in oncology
global cancer care

Patient Navigation Program Reduces Time to Treatment in Patients With Cancer

Global Cancer Institute recently announced the results of its Patient Navigation Program in Mexico City. The average time to referral before the program’s inception was 5 months, but the implementation of patient navigators reduced that average to 7 days. These findings were published by ...

Issues in Oncology
Global Cancer Care

Global Oncology Education and Professional Development: ASCO International’s Impact

ASCO is such a misnomer: the American Society of Clinical Oncology is far more than simply “American.” Over the past several years, I (a Canadian-born breast surgical oncologist, with an Indian-born mother and a Tanzanian-born father) have traveled to Zimbabwe, Bhutan, and the Philippines with this ...

Global Cancer Care
Hepatobiliary Cancer

Controlling the Global Burden of Liver Cancer

The burden of mortality related to liver cancer is increasing worldwide. Prevention and control of viral hepatitis will be vital in combating this burden, but curbing the growing epidemic of obesity must also be seen as a key part of liver cancer prevention, according to Rosmawati Mohamed, MD, of...

Global Cancer Care
Issues in Oncology

The Politics and Economics of Cancer Prevention

Finance is a key driver in cancer prevention, as has been evidenced by the influence of tax on the consumption of products such as cigarettes and alcohol. Going up against a huge industry like Big Tobacco will almost certainly be met with tremendous opposition, but understanding the industrial...

Supportive Care
Palliative Care
Issues in Oncology
Global Cancer Care

Unequal Burden of Cancer-Related Suffering and Need for Palliative Care

The global burden of cancer-related suffering is tremendously unbalanced, according to Eric L. Krakauer, MD, PhD, Director of the Global Palliative Care Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston and a lead coauthor of the Report of the Lancet Commission on Global...

Issues in Oncology
Global Cancer Care

Global Burden of Cancer on the Rise: Implications for Cancer Prevention and Control

As the global burden of cancer grows, cancer control measures must be tailored to regional and national priorities, underscoring the need for high-quality cancer registries, according to Christopher P. Wild, PhD, Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France. Earlier...

Global Cancer Care

UPMC Opens New Radiotherapy Center in Italy

The University of Pittsburg Medical Center (UPMC) recently announced the opening of a new radiotherapy center in Villa Maria, Italy, which will become part of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center network when it opens to patients later this year. The new center, named the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at...

Issues in Oncology
Global Cancer Care

Building Improved and Sustainable Health-Care Systems Through Telemedicine

Telemedicine—the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients via telecommunications technology—has changed the way oncology care is delivered in rural parts of the world. Patients in rural areas are now able to connect remotely with their physicians without having to deal with the time, expense, and ...

Issues in Oncology
Global Cancer Care

Cancer Care in the Palestinian Territories

The global burden of cancer is huge and growing. In 2018, there will be > 18 million new cancer cases and 9.6 million deaths.1,2 Although several recent articles have reviewed cancer in developing countries, few have focused on the Palestinian territories. There are several reasons for that,...

Issues in Oncology
Global Cancer Care

NCCN and CAOH Develop Guidelines to Improve Cancer Care in the Caribbean

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) is embarking on a new collaboration with the Caribbean Association for Oncology & Hematology (CAOH) to develop a library of NCCN Harmonized Guidelines™ for the Caribbean. The archipelago that extends from the Bahamas in the north to Trinidad...

Issues in Oncology
Global Cancer Care

Cancer on the Global Stage: Incidence and Cancer-Related Mortality in Barbados

GUEST EDITOR The ASCO Post is pleased to continue this special feature on the worldwide cancer burden. Each installment focuses on a country from one of the six regions of the world, as defined by the World Health Organization (ie, Africa, the Americas, South-East Asia, Europe, Eastern...

lung cancer
issues in oncology
global cancer care

Lung Cancer Mortality Among Women Projected to Increase by 43% Worldwide by 2030

According to a report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, cancer is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with an estimated incidence of 14 million new cases of the disease and 8.2 million cancer deaths in 2012. A study analyzing breast and female lung...

global cancer care

ESMO Emphasizes Importance of Cancer on the Global Health Agenda at the 71st World Health Assembly

At the 71st World Health Assembly in Geneva, the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) delivered two statements positioning cancer as a priority on the global agenda of the World Health Organization (WHO). Presenting its recommendations for action to the international community,...

Global Cancer Care

Noted Oncologist Narayanankutty Warrier, MD, Battles Tobacco Use and Builds a Cancer Center in India

India, with the world’s second-largest population and more than 2,000 ethnic groups, is a vastly complex nation, noted for its rich history and boundless intellectual capital, but also for its poverty and inequities in areas such as access to health care. The State of Kerala, situated in the...

Global Cancer Care

International Oncologist Nagi S. El Saghir, MD, FACP, Returned Home to Make a Difference in Lebanon and Worldwide

Internationally renowned expert on the early detection, prevention, and treatment of younger women with breast cancer, Nagi S. El Saghir, MD, FACP, FASCO, was born on January 5, 1953, in Bint Jbeil, a village in southern Lebanon. His parents moved to Beirut in 1948, at the height of the...

Issues in Oncology
Global Cancer Care

An Inspiring Experience at Cancer Control for Primary Care Course in Bhutan

I’ll admit it. When I was first asked if I would chair the Cancer Control for Primary Care (CCPC) Course in Bhutan, I immediately exclaimed yes... and then sheepishly went to look up where exactly Bhutan was on a map. For the uninitiated, Bhutan is a country nestled between India and Tibet in the...

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