Published in News
Today is World Cancer Day, marked annually to help raise awareness of cancer and promote prevention, detection, and treatment. Being one of the leading non-communicable diseases worldwide, cancer is a priority area for GACD.
In 2020, there were over 19 million cancer diagnoses around the world. This is predicted to rise to over 30 million diagnoses per year by 2040, with low- and middle- income countries projected to have a disproportionate increase.
One challenge to reducing the cancer burden in populations experiencing disparities worldwide is to overcome barriers in implementation of basic prevention and care strategies, which have been central to cancer control in many high-income countries. In lower-income countries and other low-resource environments, such interventions are under-used or have limited impact because of implementation challenges that have yet to be identified, researched, and addressed.
We dedicated over $30 million to 19 new cancer research projects across 33 countries last year, with a unique focus on implementation research. These projects are identifying and scaling-up the best strategies to prevent and control cancers in low- and middle- income countries and underserved populations in high-income countries.
Below are a sample of projects from this latest funding call. One of our funding agencies, the National Institutes of Health, are still accepting applications for cancer research projects until 8 May 2022.
Optimising lung cancer screening for Māori
In Aotearoa, New Zealand, there are significant ethnic inequities in incidence and mortality, and lung cancer is the largest contributor to the difference in life expectancy between Māori and non-Māori peoples. Survival is poor largely due to late-stage diagnosis, and earlier detection can help reduce mortality.
This project, led by Professor Sue Crengle from the University of Otago, aims to determine the most effective and acceptable invitation strategy for Māori who are eligible for lung cancer screening in Aotearoa, to improve participation and help to reduce the serious health inequalities between the Māori and non- Māori people. Find out more about this research.
Developing a woman-centred model for cervical cancer screening in India
Cervical cancer is a devastating disease that impacts women, families and communities, and one in five of all cases globally occur in India. This project led by Professor Julia Brotherton from the VCS Foundation aims to work with women, communities and health services in two States of India to design a woman friendly approach to prevent cervical cancer.
The researchers aim to overcome current barriers to cervical screening using a newer more accurate test that women can take themselves to detect the cancer-causing human papillomavirus. If the test is deemed to be acceptable and cost-effective for communities, it could be scaled-up to save the lives of many women in India and around the world. Find out more about this research.
Cancer prevention and early detection among the homeless population in Europe
Homeless people across Europe are an underserved, marginalised population at high risk of poor health-related outcomes, with deaths due to cancer being twice as high as the general population.
Led by Dr Igor Grabovac from Medizinische Universität Wien, this project will investigate a people-centered approach to improving timely access to healthcare, empowering people through health education and social support. The aim of this project is to reduce the high cancer mortality rates and improve overall health outcomes in this underserved population. Find out more about this research.