New data released on Wednesday to mark World Cancer Day 2015 projects that an $18 bln increase in funding per year by the international community could see a 30% drop in cancer deaths in (low- and middle-income countries) LMICs by 2030.
Public health experts from the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) said that 3 mln lives a year can be saved through affordable increases in the investment into cancer services and many more in succeeding decades through prevention, earlier detection and improved care for patients.
UICC http://www.uicc.org said that increased funding will also provide pain relief to ease the deaths of millions who will die of cancer during this period, while tripling tobacco taxes alone would raise tax revenue available to governments to $400 bln annually and could encourage a third of smokers to quit.
"More than 8 mln people a year die from cancer of which more than 60% occurred in low- and middle-income countries, the majority in the middle-income segment," said UICC President Professor Tezer Kutluk.
"The absolute number of cancer cases in developing countries is set to rise dramatically because of population growth and ageing, so action must be taken now. Whilst the $18 bln package is affordable for many countries, it's unrealistic to expect the world's poorest nations to contribute to this investment without international support," stressed Kutluk.
Headline data presented at the World Cancer Congress in December calls on middle-income countries with the means to do so to increase spending on cancer by 2-5% of their health budgets. Low-income countries will need support from the international community to build capacity, a process that is likely to take a decade or more.
The World Health Organisation recommended "best buys" for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in 2011, including cancer prevention through tobacco taxation, regulation and control to reduce tobacco-related cancers, Hepatitis B (HBV) vaccination to prevent liver cancer, and screening and treatment for precancerous cervical lesions.
Basic treatment and pain control interventions include HPV vaccination for adolescent girls to prevent cervical cancer, pain control for advanced cancer, treatment of selected paediatric cancers, and diagnosing and treating early-stage breast and colon cancers.
These measures address high-burden cancers (cervical, breast and colon cancers), highly-curable cancers, (selected) paediatric cancers. All interventions are cost-effective, affordable in most middle-income countries (and attainable in low-income countries, with international assistance) and feasible within the 2030 timeframe.
For more information on how to get involved, visit: http://www.worldcancerday.org
