Most of us in developed countries have dwelled in the shadow of cancer. We've anxiously awaited a test result, become intimate with chemotherapy for ourselves or a loved one or held vigil at a bedside.
During those intense and often tragic periods, we usually have options -- education, treatment, pain relief and sometimes, blessedly, remission and recovery -- that is, if we happen to reside in a wealthy country. Not so for millions of others, adults and children alike, in poorer countries where more than 70 percent of all cancer deaths occur yet five percent or less of cancer resources are allocated to the people living there, despite the growing cancer burden.
Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide, killing more people than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. The cancer burden in low- and middle-income countries is increasingly disproportionate. Globally in 2009, there were an estimated 12.9 million cases of cancer, a number expected to double by 2020, with 60 percent of new cases occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
Not only do these countries carry more than half the disease burden, they lack the resources for cancer awareness and prevention, early detection, treatment or palliative options to relieve the staggering pain and human suffering if the disease is untreated -- an unthinkable outcome for people who have cancer in rich nations.
Cancer also has the most devastating economic impact of any cause of death in the world, according to the recent landmark report, "The Global Economic Cost of Cancer," released by the American Cancer Society and Livestrong. Premature deaths and disability from cancer cost the global economy nearly 1 trillion dollars a year. The data from this study provides compelling evidence that balancing the world's global health agenda to address cancer more effectively will save not only millions of lives, but also billions of dollars.
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Any questions, please drop me a line.
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