World Cancer Day is marked on February 4 every year, and the theme for this year ‘Close the care gap’ focuses on raising awareness of the equity gap in cancer care, highlighting the vast deviation in access to optimal technologies around the world and technologies that can significantly reduce unnecessary deaths from the disease. The aim is to close the care gap to provide equitable care for all.
There is an equity gap in almost every nation that prevents people from certain economic strata gain full access to essential healthcare services and this is costing lives. This year’s theme says the difference may seem subtle, but closing the cancer care gap would require different solutions in different regions of the world.
An increased focus on early cancer screening and diagnosis will improve survival rates and save substantial amounts of money that could be utilised for new age technologies and services that further improve patient outcomes. Earlier diagnosis raises the chances of fighting the disease and means that cancer treatment is less expensive.
Also read: World Cancer Day: Real-World Findings on Recurrence in Breast Cancer
Gaps in cancer care are the gulf between the recommended treatment for a certain patient and the treatment that patient receives. It is very much essential to address the care gaps as otherwise it can result in missed or delayed diagnosis, and subsequently lead to more costly and potentially more invasive treatment. The cancer care gap is not inevitable. Collectively, we can reduce inequity by educating the people about cancer prevention, equipping healthcare professionals with skills and knowledge including about how inequity influences cancer care, strengthening primary health care delivered in communities, addressing through policy and programmes some of the social and economic factors that can negatively affect people’s health etc. We also have to address the root causes of these inequities and to treat cancer as an important health issue, and by challenging the stigma and discrimination in all its forms. There are certain barriers that stand in the way of cancer care—gender norms and discrimination, age discrimination, barriers for minority populations, poverty and socio-economic status, homophobia and related discrimination etc. It is very crucial to address these barriers.
Cancer can be prevented and controlled by implementing evidence-based strategies for cancer prevention, screening and early detection, treatment, and palliative care. The most common modifiable risk factors for cancer, which are shared with many other non-communicable diseases are tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, lack of physical activity and low fruit and vegetable intake. Some specific risk factors for cancer include chronic infections from human papilloma virus (HPV) -for cervical cancer-, hepatitis B and C – for liver cancer-, and H.pylori -for stomach cancer. Much of the cancer cases could be prevented by reducing the prevalence of known risk factors. Some of the actionable interventions are tobacco control and HPV vaccination.
Treating cancer early is better for everyone. It has a better success rate, is less expensive, and it comes with better quality of life for the patient. Cancer care needs the support of cutting-edge technology that can make it easier to prevent, find, and treat cancers as early as possible. We have to focus on creating a future without cancer and the time to act is now.
– Dr Rahul Bhargava, Principal Director, Hematology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram
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