4th February World Cancer Day
Treatment for All
The World Cancer Declaration Targets to be achieved by 2025:
Target 1 - Health systems will be strengthened to ensure sustained delivery of effective and comprehensive, people-centred cancer control programmes across the life-course
Target 7 - Access to accurate cancer diagnosis, quality multimodal treatment, rehabilitation, supportive and palliative care services, including the availability of affordable essential medicines and technologies, will have improved
Target 8 - Effective pain control and distress management services will be universally available
Meeting this challenge is not beyond us if we work together to:
- Strengthen health systems that deliver cancer prevention and care services
- Improve access to essential cancer medicines and technologies
- Reduce the financial toll of cancer on individuals, families and economies
The Challenge
- Under-resourced health systems and lack of social protection in many countries are widening gaps in access to cancer services and heightening financial risk. Vulnerable populations, including women, often face barriers to access early diagnosis or treatment, and children and adolescents are often denied access to lifesaving cancer medicines.
- A number of barriers impair access to essential cancer medicines and technologies in low-resource settings, including affordable pricing of vaccines and legislative restrictions (ref – GOPI). Large gaps also exist in access to radiotherapy (RT) for curative or pain relieving treatment.
- There is a large financial burden associated with cancer for patients and their carers and the impact of cancer-related death and disability on labour supply hinders national productivity and development, with the cost of cancer alone estimated to reach US $458 billion per year in 2030.
Meeting the Challenge
Strengthening health systems that deliver cancer prevention and care services
- Cancer is a complex disease with the appropriate treatment of most cancers requiring a multi-faceted approach. National Cancer Control Plans (NCCPs) should consider the full spectrum of multidisciplinary cancer services and infrastructure including for prevention, diagnosis, early detection, treatment and palliative care.
- These plans must include efforts to provide psychosocial support that addresses the full impact of cancer on emotional, mental and physical wellbeing of patients, their families and carers.
- NCCPs also have a vital role in strengthening health systems by addressing key constraints to the delivery of effective, quality cancer services. This includes the delivery of a skilled health workforce; infrastructure; adequate financing; and focusing research where it is most needed so that existing knowledge is translated into practical outcomes for patients.
Achieving equity in access to essential cancer medicines and technologies
- Improved access to affordable treatment for cancer should be a genuine priority for the post-2015 development agenda.
- Guided by the WHO Essential Medicines List, national cancer planning processes should identify a list of essential cancer medicines for training, supply, and reimbursement in combination with the development of evidence-based national clinical guidelines.
- National authorities must consider mechanisms to increase efficiency in procurement, supply, and use of cancer medicines and promote access to medicines within the existing health budget.
- Investments in a skilled and supported health workforce should be priorities.
- Radiotherapy has been shown to be a cost-effective approach to cancer treatment in high-income countries, and similar evidence is also emerging from developing countries. Greater awareness is needed amongst policy makers, health professionals, patients and caregivers of the increasing benefits of using modern radiotherapy.
Reducing the financial toll of cancer on individuals, families and economies
- The delivery of universal health coverage (UHC) and other social protection measures can play an important role in closing the unacceptable gaps in access to cancer services.
- The capacity for low-income countries to move towards UHC has been demonstrated in at least nine low- income and lower-middle-income countries in Africa and Asia.
- Importantly, UHC will not be sufficient on its own to address the global cancer and non-communicable (NCD) burden due to its focus on health. The post- 2015 framework must also address the underlying social, economic, political, environmental and cultural factors that influence an individual’s capacity to maximise their health and wellbeing at all ages and life stages.
It is Not Beyond Us to meet the challenge if...
- Access to new, patented, and expensive cancer medicines are considered on an individual basis based on priorities identified within national cancer control planning.
- It is understood that radiotherapy is a critical component of high-quality cancer care. It can cure cancers alone, or in combination with surgery or chemotherapy.
- Governments take specific actions to meet the global target of an 80% availability of affordable and essential medicines and basic technologies.
- UHC is a commitment to equity and ensuring access to quality essential health services based on need and not on the ability to pay.
- The next generation of global development goals and targets address UHC and acknowledge equity and health as a human right with the ultimate consequence of maximising healthy lives at all stages of life.
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