Developing a global strategy for cancer.

Abstract

Over the next 25 years there will be a dramatic increase in the number of people developing cancer. Globally, 10 million new cancer patients are diagnosed each year and this will be 20 million by the year 2020. Cancer is now the public's most feared disease. Billions of dollars are spent annually on cancer research by the drug industry, cancer charities and governments, but a cure for cancer appears elusive. And yet, we are in the midst of a revolution in our ability to image parts of the body, painlessly and in fine detail. We also now understand the intricate workings of the human genome--ultimately responsible for controlling all biological processes in health and disease. By the year 2003 the entire DNA sequence of the human genome will be determined. Powerful computer networks will allow detailed comparisons of genetic structure, so identifying new risk factors. Gene chips will detect minute code changes of considerable relevance. Novel screening technologies will allow us to detect just a few cancer cells in a patient. Robotically guided destructive processes will target abnormal cells in patients long before any cancer-related symptoms develop. And all this is likely by the first quarter of the next century. How are people, society and healthcare systems going to deal with these tremendous technological advances for cancer? Detailed information will be available in every home through easily understandable computer links. Choices now made by professionals will be equally understandable to all. Public education on health will be strengthened allowing a more critical and realistic assessment of media reports on new technologies. But as technology becomes more complex, the gap between the global rich and poor could widen. The export of unhealthy lifestyles--cigarette smoking, dietary habits and sedentary occupations will disproportionately increase cancer in many developing countries, which can least afford the treatment costs. The WHO Cancer Programme is developing a strategy to identify priorities in cancer prevention, detection and treatment in a wide range of epidemiological and economic settings.