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Much progress has been made to include women’s health and cancer issues on the global health agenda. Both breast and cervical cancer are amenable to prevention and/or effective treatment options that can be provided in low-resource settings, but that have not been widely available to women in need. A small number of highly effective programs demonstrate that much can be done to reduce risk and increase sustainable access to diagnosis and treatment for these high-mortality cancers in low-resource settings.
We already know that early detection of breast cancer has strong beneficial effects on effective treatment and survival. Where mammography has not proven feasible in the poorer regions of the world due to the high cost, limited doctors, and overburdened staff, a number of studies have demonstrated that clinical examination combined with public education about the value of early breast cancer diagnosis are equally effective, especially in countries where patients typically present with locally advanced or metastatic disease. Clinical examination also has the advantage of being applicable even in remote clinics and health centers, thereby reducing mortality from breast cancer.
Pilot programs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America have also shown that cervical cancer screening can be carried out in a cost-effective way in low-resource settings if there is sufficient awareness, training of health workers, efficient management, and good monitoring and evaluation systems with feedback of results to managers. The most cost-effective screening strategies were those that required the fewest visits, as these resulted in improved follow up testing and treatment. |
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Cancer Screening:
Implement a community based program in low resource countries with high cancer incidence for early detection of breast and gynecological cancers delivered through a free standing or a mobile Well Woman Clinic.
Clinical Research:
Study the effectiveness of the screening and diagnostic methodology used for early detection of breast and gynecological cancers in low resource settings using monitoring and evaluation protocols to produce a public body of knowledge.
Referral Networks:
The program will make surgical treatment available for those women who are diagnosed with cancer through referrals to regional hospitals for free or subsidized treatment. Palliative care will be provided for those diagnosed with untreatable disease.
Medical Training:
Institute training camps to build the necessary infrastructure to sustain clinic practices by training health staff and visiting residents in pathology screening methodologies.
Public Awareness:
Educate the public in these regions using culturally appropriate methods and best practices that emphasize the importance of health initiatives, dispel myths and misinformation regarding cancers, and the ease of the screening process.
Public Health Agenda:
The program seeks to establish public-private partnerships to place women's health issues on the national agenda in each country and to serve as a pilot program for replication.
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