Building an equitable and sustainable approach to cancer

Advances in precision medicine and detection technology have revolutionised the diagnosis and treatment of diseases worldwide as demonstrated at many booths at the Africa Health Excon in Egypt last week.¹ However, despite these remarkable medical leaps, barriers to accessing new and well-established tests and treatments mean that in diseases like cancer, patients in Africa continue to receive lower-quality care.^2,3 Our Cancer Care Africa programme, aims to address these barriers, redefine cancer care in Africa, and support health systems to be more accessible, resilient, and sustainable.

Embracing innovation and sustainability at Africa Health ExCon

At the Africa Health Excon 2023 in Egypt last week, we demonstrated our commitment to healthcare innovation. Through our immersive, cutting-edge booth, we’re representing our company and casting a compelling vision of the future of healthcare. The booth showcasing the latest technological advancements is a window into a future where healthcare is transformed, with people, society and the planet at the heart of all our efforts.

Our participation at the Africa Health Excon extends beyond the physical confines of our booth. We are delivering our commitment through a symposium dedicated to our Cancer Care Africa Programme. This gathering of key African stakeholders will be a platform to tackle the rising burden of cancer on the continent. Through the transformative role of National Cancer Control Programmes, we envision an Africa with sustainable and equitable cancer care infrastructure that bridges the gap from diagnosis to treatment. Whilst building healthcare capacity for better healthcare delivery.

Cancer is a growing health issue across Africa

Cancer has emerged as a critical health issue across Africa. Ranking as the continent’s fifth leading cause of death, with over 1.1 million new cases in 2020 alone.⁴ Despite its growing prevalence and mortality, quality cancer care remains out of reach for many Africans. This shortfall stems from an absence of diagnostic facilities, low patient awareness, insufficient training for healthcare practitioners, and difficulties accessing the preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic resources. These barriers have a more severe impact on underserved populations, exacerbating existing health inequalities.^5,6

To bridge these gaps, as well as address a shortfall in healthcare professionals in Africa, it is essential to bring together partners from across sectors to co-create a comprehensive and coordinated approach.

Leveraging local initiatives in Africa to redefine cancer care in the continent

Despite the challenges, significant opportunities exist for equitable and sustainable access to cancer care in Africa. Countries are recognising the increasing burden that cancer places on health systems and are investing more to improve patient outcomes.³ However, to address the rising disease burden, actors across the healthcare ecosystem must expand, accelerate, and support these efforts.

Launched in November 2022 at COP27 in Egypt, our ACT for Cancer Care Africa programme supports countries to make progress against cancer. The programme aims to challenge traditional thinking and advocate for policy changes in cancer care to improve outcomes for all individuals affected by the disease, regardless of their demographic, geographic or socio-economic status. It also seeks to support health systems to embrace innovative health technologies, which have the potential to make cancer screening more accessible, particularly in remote and underserved communities in Africa.

Taking a country-by-country approach, we are bringing together cancer experts, researchers, patient voices, health tech firms, government officials and policymakers, aiming to develop sustainable cancer care ecosystems which can withstand the burden of future pressures. In Egypt, we are partnering with the Ministry of Health to support the roll out of presidential cancer campaigns to enhance early detection of the disease through screening and awareness programmes.

Cancer Care Africa is also encouraging countries to share best-practice and other expertise across borders to the benefit of all. The Preceptorship programmes aim to uplift multi-disciplinary oncology medical capabilities and so far, have been delivered for lung and prostate cancer and have connected expertise from Kenya and Egypt for cross-border education, knowledge exchange and practical training.

Improving cancer care for people, society and the planet

We must empower and enable everyone involved in healthcare to build resilience, improve health equity and take action on climate change. An important element of this is identifying ways to decarbonise the complete patient pathway, recognising the valuable role innovation and digital solutions can play in reducing our carbon footprint, as well as improving health.

By bringing together stakeholders from across borders and sectors, our fresh approach to cancer care in Africa is just one way we will improve awareness, prevention, screening, and management of diseases, and at the same time boost investment and understanding of the importance of sustainable healthcare. Ultimately, this multifaceted approach aims to reduce cancer-related deaths, and reinforce the resilience and accessibility of healthcare systems across Africa today and for the future.

References

1. Luchini, C., Pea, A., & Scarpa, A. (2022). Artificial intelligence in oncology: Current applications and future perspectives. British Journal of Cancer, 126(1), 4-9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-021-01633-1

2. World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa. (n.d.). Cancer. Retrieved May 25, 2023, from https://www.afro.who.int/health-topics/cancer

3. Rubagumya, F., Mitera, G., Ka, S., Manirakiza, A., Decuir, P., Msadabwe, S. C., Adani Ifè, S., Nwachukwu, E., Ohene Oti, N., Borges, H., Mutebi, M., Abuidris, D., Vanderpuye, V., Booth, C. M., & Hammad, N. (2020). Choosing Wisely Africa: Ten Low-Value or Harmful Practices That Should Be Avoided in Cancer Care. JCO global oncology, 6, 1192–1199. https://doi.org/10.1200/GO.20.00255

4. Frontiers in Public Health. Mapping Cancer in Africa: A Comprehensive and Comparable Characterization of 34 Cancer Types Using Estimates from GLOBOCAN 2020. Available at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.839835/full. Last accessed: June 2023

5. World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa. (2022, March 11). Where does cancer care stand in Africa today? Retrieved May 25, 2023, from https://www.afro.who.int/news/where-does-cancer-care-stand-africa-today

6. Stefan D. C. (2015). Cancer Care in Africa: An Overview of Resources. Journal of global oncology, 1(1), 30–36. https://doi.org/10.1200/JGO.2015.000406

Veeva ID: Z4-55701
Date of preparation: June 2023