3 min readPuneDec 6, 2024 09:45 PM IST
First published on: Dec 6, 2024 at 08:15 PM IST
A new four-paper series in the Lancet Oncology has made a strong case for strengthening National Cancer Control Programmes in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka).
SAARC countries are home to 24% of the world’s population and account for 9% of all cancer cases worldwide with a 12% mortality rate in the SAARC region. Authors have called for immediately investing in upgraded healthcare infrastructure, including cancer diagnosis and treatment facilities, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
Authors also flagged concern over challenges in translating research into widespread clinical practice. Referring to India, Prof M Saiful Huq from the Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA and among the authors of the report, spoke about the increasing cancer burden and the mismatch between the pace of research and urgency of implementation.
In an email interview, Professor Huq said the high cancer burden and varied patterns are a challenge in the country. “The country’s cancer patterns are highly variable due to genetic, lifestyle and environmental differences, making it challenging to generalise findings. Also, cancer treatment centres and research facilities are concentrated in urban areas, leaving rural regions underserved,” Huq, past president, American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) said.
Countries must focus on studies that address local healthcare needs and disseminate findings to policy makers. “This approach will enable informed decisions aimed at enhancing patient care,” Huq said. He also called for establishing early connections between researchers and clinicians in graduate school; foster collaborative research, advocate for cancer research, and secure philanthropic funding for robust research programmes.
At the individual level, clinicians in SAARC countries often endure heavy workloads and lack formal research training. “Providing short courses or workshops on clinical research methodology, such as those offered by the International Collaboration for Research methods Development in Oncology and Tata Memorial Centre, can improve the skills of early-career researchers,” Huq pointed out.
When contacted, Prof Kalpana Balakrishnan, Dean (Research), Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, (who is not attached with the series report) told The Indian Express that the paucity of capacities in the SAARC region to conduct locally relevant translational research is neither limited to cancer as a disease endpoint nor the conduct of clinical trials.
The expert said cancer is particularly challenging as we are just beginning to augment registry efforts to understand the true incidence rates. “Any enhancement of cancer care infrastructure should simultaneously focus on risk factor mapping, early detection and therapeutic regimens without which we run the risk of exacerbating inequities in access to affordable healthcare for our populations. Finally, building core analytical epidemiological capacities is central for closing the evidence gap for effective screening and disease management protocols,” Prof Balakrishnan added.
The expert said cancer is particularly challenging as we are just beginning to augment registry efforts to understand the true incidence rates. (Representational Image) 
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