Articles Tagged ‘africa’

Overcoming global cultural and financial disparities to treat children with cancer

African children

Children in developing nations suffer from five times as many cases of cancer as their counterparts in developed nations. At the most basic level, the easiest way to increase survival rates in these children would be to train more doctors and nurses in their care and to add facilities where they can be adequately treated. To do this, cultural and financial disparities endemic to this population should be addressed. Scientists at National Cancer Institute (NCI) are working with colleagues, including those at International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research (INCTR), toward this end.

NCI’s Role in International Cancer Research

The Global Burden of Cancer

The National Cancer Institute oversees the U.S. National Cancer Program and is also involved in the promotion of global health and cancer control. The National Cancer Act of 1971 directed the NCI to collect, analyze and disseminate research on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, to share cancer research information globally, and to support research being conducted by highly qualified foreign nationals outside the United States. The landmark law also mandated that NCI support collaborative research involving American and foreign participants, and support training of American scientists abroad and foreign scientists in the United States. As a special feature, this article includes an interview Benchmarks held with Dr. Richard Love on the topic of Conducting International Clinical Trials.

The Global Burden of Cancer

The Global Burden of Cancer

Cancer has not been considered a major health issue in developing countries until recently, according to a 2005 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an overwhelming number of infectious diseases and rampant sanitary problems were higher priorities. Unfortunately, cancer is now becoming more of a global burden than it ever was before.