But after spending billions of dollars on research and decades of hit-or-miss treatments, it is now time to rethink the war on cancer. The million dollar question - is all the hype worth the attention? The fact is that cancer does get cured, but only to a large extent in developed nations. Cancer treatment is one of the most expensive among all and in developing nations the cost s are out of the pockets. For example, in Norway, five percent of young adults and children are cured because they have a strong public health system with good cancer research. Scientific evidence says that two thirds of cancers can get cured. But this has no meaning for 80 % of the globe. We all know they can get cured if they get diagnosed early and if the system attends to it. There are so many people who do get diagnosed early but still don’t have the means. There is no insurance and no socialist medicine. So they go back to work for as long as they can. These facts are reinforced by The International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research (INCTR) which says that Cancer is and has been relatively neglected in developing countries. This stems from the fact that cancer is a particularly complex health problem which consumes extensive human and financial resources. This acts as a disincentive to national policy makers in resource-poor countries and international agencies to address it.
To get cancer cured depends on two things – to detect it early and to have a healthcare system that can allow timely and effective treatment. A lot depends on the healthcare system, as in how professionals are trained to detect cancer early and also to refer it. This is one of the major problems in low resource settings. Cancer is not included in the priorities of development agencies and agenda of donor countries. According to INCTR cancer will become an increasingly important cause of premature mortality in the developing countries as their populations expand, tobacco consumption increases and diets are westernized. Already, approximately 60% of global cancer cases occurs in developing countries and unless the increasing incidence rate of cancer can be slowed - 10 million new cases per year at present - it is likely to double by 2020, the majority of this increase occurring in developing countries.
It is high time that the attention of the global cancer authorities be now turned towards developing countries because that is where the real battle has to be fought. No doubt we are fighting cancer but if developing countries are considered then cancer will have the last laugh.
To get cancer cured depends on two things – to detect it early and to have a healthcare system that can allow timely and effective treatment. A lot depends on the healthcare system, as in how professionals are trained to detect cancer early and also to refer it. This is one of the major problems in low resource settings. Cancer is not included in the priorities of development agencies and agenda of donor countries. According to INCTR cancer will become an increasingly important cause of premature mortality in the developing countries as their populations expand, tobacco consumption increases and diets are westernized. Already, approximately 60% of global cancer cases occurs in developing countries and unless the increasing incidence rate of cancer can be slowed - 10 million new cases per year at present - it is likely to double by 2020, the majority of this increase occurring in developing countries.
It is high time that the attention of the global cancer authorities be now turned towards developing countries because that is where the real battle has to be fought. No doubt we are fighting cancer but if developing countries are considered then cancer will have the last laugh.
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