Towards a Global Roadmap for Fast Access to Innovative Cancer Treatment and Care

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Reducing the global burden of cancer and other Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) by one third in 2030 is part of the SDG 3.4 commitments of Heads of States. Although Research & Development (R&D) in cancer treatment delivers constantly innovative options for cure and care, their rapid integration into national health care systems, curricula, and guidelines gets increasingly complex. Especially in the Global South, weak healthcare infrastructure, lack of health insurance coverage, and public health financing are other major barriers for access to innovations in oncology.

International cooperation and partnership between national health authorities, the United Nations, patient advocacy groups, medical societies, academia, and the private sector is needed to support national efforts in cancer control planning and implementation. Components of cooperation are training and R&D in cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, and palliative care. Global capacity building for cancer research, such as for clinical trials, is key to advance progress in cancer treatment.

In this session, we will discuss how the vision of cross sector partnerships can be put into practice. To enrich the discussion we will present successful models of cooperation such as the hospital partnership program of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Charité iSTARC program for global virtual tumor conferences.