Background
Over 19 million cancer cases were diagnosed globally in 2020 and that is projected to increase by 75% over the next three decades. This growth will be most significant in low and middle-income countries, where there is the least health systems capacity. While the human cost is enormous, there is an imbalance in the attention and resources allocated to the physical and psychological well-being, quality of life, and social circumstances of patients and families compared to the biomedical dimensions of the disease. This has resulted in a global crisis of avoidable human suffering that is largely ignored and under-resourced.
Methodology
The Lancet Oncology invited Drs. Gary Rodin and Richard Sullivan to lead a commission on the human crisis in cancer. Evidence for the crisis, factors that are driving it, and global solutions will be elucidated through novel data, meta-analytic reviews, and case studies in the following areas: fragmented care systems, insufficient availability and access to mental health and palliative care, increased financial toxicity, limited training on the human aspects in medical education, and insufficient consideration to the sociocultural factors that influence care, research, and policy.
Impact on Practice
Launching in Fall 2025, the Commission will put a spotlight on this crisis at a critical tipping point, and aims to change the global narrative around person-centred cancer care. Solutions to be discussed include: expand humanistic competencies in oncology curricula, incentivize embedding of psychosocial and palliative care in health systems, and explore innovative health financing models to fund patient-centred interventions.