Access Cancer Care India: affordable, integrated multi-cancer early detection to improve equitable cancer outcomes

Background

Late diagnosis of cancer is one of the most serious challenges for patients and healthcare systems in low and middle income settings. People living in rural areas are particularly vulnerable both from a late diagnosis perspective and from affordability perspective. Whilst there are a range of cost effective interventions to improve early diagnosis through screening and better access to diagnosis there have been few studies on how to put these into place in complex environments. Research to understand the implementation of early diagnosis and screening is essential to adapt these approaches to the unique social, economic, political and health conditions for each country.

India is one of the most complex and diverse upper middle income countries where each State reflects the sorts of challenges for implementing early diagnosis programmes seen around the world.

Aims

The primary aim of the Access Cancer Care India (ACCI) project is to design and evaluate a new multi-level strategy, integrated and contextualised to the local health system, to improve access to the early detection and care continuum for oral, breast and cervical cancers among rural population in India.

Specific objectives include:

1. To determine the current health services for early detection of oral, breast and cervical cancer among rural population in India

2. To determine barriers for access to early detection and treatment services for oral, breast and cervical cancer among rural population in India

3. To develop a capacity development response for early detection and treatment of oral, breast and cervical cancer among rural population in India

4. To design and cost an intervention strategy to improve participation of early detection of oral, breast and cervical cancer among rural population in India

5. To implement and evaluate a pilot intervention strategy to improve participation of early detection of oral, breast and cervical cancer among rural population in India

6. To assess readiness and capacity to sustain and scale up interventions

Publications and output

You may visit the project website for more information.

Funding organisations

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