Global cancer consortiums: moving from consensus to practice

Resource-Stratified Guideline-Based Cancer Care Should Be a Priority: Historical Context and Examples of Success

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are shouldering most of the burden of the rapidly increasing cancer incidence and mortality worldwide, and this situation is projected to worsen in coming decades. Studies estimate that more than one million deaths could be prevented annually if all patients received high-quality care, but most LMICs lack the resources and infrastructure to adopt U.S. or European clinical oncology practice guidelines. Several organizations have developed resource-stratified guidelines (RSGs) to provide graduated and/or region-specific strategies for cancer diagnosis and treatment. The birth of these efforts traces to 2002, when the World Health Organization (WHO) called for tailoring cancer treatments to the level of available resources by country; the Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI) formalized the first stratified guidelines for breast cancer shortly thereafter. Since then, multiple organizations including ASCO and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) have created guidelines customized for various cancer subtypes and regions. These RSGs offer roadmaps for policy makers, clinicians, and health care administrators in LMICs to design projects in implementation science that can gradually and strategically raise the quality of cancer care in their nation or region. Although the same resource limitations that complicate cancer care in these areas also pose barriers to data gathering and research, some countries have met the challenge and are improving cancer care using RSGs as a metric for success.

Toward a framework for best practices and research guidelines for perinatal depression research

This review article highlights the current state of perinatal depression (PND) research including established standards of care and innovative research in progress. PND can have a significant adverse impact on mother, child, and family; however, to date, wide-scale identification, prevention, and treatment have been limited. PND is heterogenous in presentation with likely multifactorial etiologies for each woman. Challenges in PND research are discussed including a need for universal tools, standardized measures, benchmarks, and best practices. Current examples are reviewed that highlight approaches to novel treatment paradigms and interventions. This includes reviewing epidemiologic studies in PND research, examining the biological underpinnings of PND, and discussing examples from this field and other fields currently developing translational research that spans from bench to bedside. Current and future challenges and opportunities in developing best practices for the treatment of PND are outlined. We also discuss the use of the NIMH Research Domain Criteria approach for PND research and provide recommendations for future directions in PND research collaboration. In conclusion, greater precision in perinatal psychiatry can be possible in the future with the development of guidelines and best practices that build on current work and apply innovative and collaborative approaches of scientists, providers, patients, community members, and government officials.

Breast Cancer Disparities at Home and Abroad: A Review of the Challenges and Opportunities for System-Level Change

Sizeable disparities exist in breast cancer outcomes, both between Black and White patients in the United States, and between patients in the United States and other high-income countries compared with low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). In both settings, health system factors are key drivers of disparities. In the United States, Black women are more likely to die of breast cancer than Whites and have poorer outcomes, even among patients with similar stage and tumor subtype. Over-representation of higher risk "triple-negative" breast cancers contributes to breast cancer mortality in Black women; however, the greatest survival disparities occur within the good-prognosis hormone receptor-positive (HR+) subtypes. Disparities in access to treatment within the complex U.S. health system may be responsible for a substantial portion of these differences in survival. In LMICs, breast cancer mortality rates are substantially higher than in the United States, whereas incidence continues to rise. This mortality burden is largely attributable to health system factors, including late-stage presentation at diagnosis and lack of availability of systemic therapy. This article will review the existing evidence for how health system factors in the United States contribute to breast cancer disparities, discuss methods for studying the relationship of health system factors to racial disparities, and provide examples of health system interventions that show promise for mitigating breast cancer disparities. We will then review evidence of global breast cancer disparities in LMICs, the treatment factors that contribute to these disparities, and actions being taken to combat breast cancer disparities around the world. Clin Cancer Res; 23(11); 2655-64. ©2017 AACRSee all articles in this CCR Focus section, "Breast Cancer Research: From Base Pairs to Populations."

Global, Regional, and National Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived With Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life-years for 32 Cancer Groups, 1990 to 2015: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study

IMPORTANCE

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Current estimates on the burden of cancer are needed for cancer control planning.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate mortality, incidence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 32 cancers in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2015.

EVIDENCE REVIEW

Cancer mortality was estimated using vital registration system data, cancer registry incidence data (transformed to mortality estimates using separately estimated mortality to incidence [MI] ratios), and verbal autopsy data. Cancer incidence was calculated by dividing mortality estimates through the modeled MI ratios. To calculate cancer prevalence, MI ratios were used to model survival. To calculate YLDs, prevalence estimates were multiplied by disability weights. The YLLs were estimated by multiplying age-specific cancer deaths by the reference life expectancy. DALYs were estimated as the sum of YLDs and YLLs. A sociodemographic index (SDI) was created for each location based on income per capita, educational attainment, and fertility. Countries were categorized by SDI quintiles to summarize results.

FINDINGS

In 2015, there were 17.5 million cancer cases worldwide and 8.7 million deaths. Between 2005 and 2015, cancer cases increased by 33%, with population aging contributing 16%, population growth 13%, and changes in age-specific rates contributing 4%. For men, the most common cancer globally was prostate cancer (1.6 million cases). Tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer deaths and DALYs in men (1.2 million deaths and 25.9 million DALYs). For women, the most common cancer was breast cancer (2.4 million cases). Breast cancer was also the leading cause of cancer deaths and DALYs for women (523 000 deaths and 15.1 million DALYs). Overall, cancer caused 208.3 million DALYs worldwide in 2015 for both sexes combined. Between 2005 and 2015, age-standardized incidence rates for all cancers combined increased in 174 of 195 countries or territories. Age-standardized death rates (ASDRs) for all cancers combined decreased within that timeframe in 140 of 195 countries or territories. Countries with an increase in the ASDR due to all cancers were largely located on the African continent. Of all cancers, deaths between 2005 and 2015 decreased significantly for Hodgkin lymphoma (-6.1% [95% uncertainty interval (UI), -10.6% to -1.3%]). The number of deaths also decreased for esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, and chronic myeloid leukemia, although these results were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE

As part of the epidemiological transition, cancer incidence is expected to increase in the future, further straining limited health care resources. Appropriate allocation of resources for cancer prevention, early diagnosis, and curative and palliative care requires detailed knowledge of the local burden of cancer. The GBD 2015 study results demonstrate that progress is possible in the war against cancer. However, the major findings also highlight an unmet need for cancer prevention efforts, including tobacco control, vaccination, and the promotion of physical activity and a healthy diet.

Global health from a cancer care perspective

Cancer is now recognized as one of the four leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and incidence is expected to rise significantly in the next two decades. Unfortunately, low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) suffer disproportionately from the world's cancer cases. The growing burden of cancer and maldistribution of cancer care resources in LMIC warrant a massive re-evaluation of the structural inequalities that produce global oncological disparities and a worldwide commitment to improve both prevention and treatment strategies. Efforts to improve cancer care capacity should focus on horizontal strengthening of healthcare systems that provide safe, affordable, effective and sustainable care. In response to current deficiencies, many international organizations have started to partner with LMIC to create solutions. Telemedicine and international collaboration are also promising ways to effect change and improve global oncological care.

Fighting Global Disparities in Cancer Care: A Surgical Oncology View

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally after cardiovascular disease. Long-term cancer survival has improved in the Western world due to early detection and the use of effective combined treatment modalities, as well as the development of effective immunotherapy and drug-targeted therapy. Surgery is still the mainstay for most solid tumors; however, low- and middle-income countries are facing an increasing lack of primary surgical care for easily treatable conditions, including breast, colon, and head and neck cancers. In this paper, a surgical oncology view is presented to elaborate how the Western surgical oncologist can take part in the ‘surgical fight’ against global disparities in cancer care, and a plea is made to strive for structural solutions, such as a partnership in surgical oncology training. The pros and cons of the use of eHealth and mHealth technologies and education programs for schools and the community are discussed as these create an opportunity to reach a large portion of the population in these countries, at low cost and with high impact.