Building Capacity for Cancer Treatment in Low-Income Countries
"The primary goal of the ESMO Global Cancer Task Force is to make the case for
better cancer screening and care within the broader agenda of the WHO Global NCD
Action Plan 2013-2020."
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the world's number one killer, bringing hardship to rich and poor
nations alike. As the largest contributors to mortality both globally and in the majority of low- and middle-
income countries, NCDs present a major challenge to sustainable development by reducing economic
productivity and threatening family vitality.
Action Plan & Strategic Framework
The Task Force has identified a small number of strategic pillars that will shape priorities over the coming years and inform clear actions across the public, private, and clinical sectors.
A global action plan that defines coordinated priorities and aligns funding across the next planning horizon.
A monitoring framework with shared targets and indicators so progress can be measured consistently and transparently.
A multi-agency coordination body that connects ministries, NGOs, and clinical networks behind a common operating model.
"The importance of professional NCD organizations in NCD control was clearly
stated by WHO Director-General during the UN High Level Meeting (HLM) in 2011.
ESMO was very active at the time and contributed to the outcome of the HLM
through its membership of the WHO-Civil Society Working Group."
Global Network Expansion
ESMO has presented a statement on the WHO Global NCD Action Plan at the 66th World Health
Assembly. Its contribution to the WHO workplan is the data from ESMO projects like the collaborative
international opioid survey and the ESMO-European Commission-funded European Partnership for Action
Against Cancer (EPAAC) to evaluate shortages of cancer medicines in several countries.
Lead Authors
Jose M. Martin-Moreno, MD, PhD
SENIOR ESMO PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE
Received his medical and public health education and training from the University of
Granada (Spain) and Harvard University (USA). His main speciality is preventive
medicine and public health, with particular emphasis on health policy and cancer
control.
Eduardo Cazap, MD, PhD, FASCO
DEPUTY CHAIR, ESMO EMERGING COUNTRIES COMMITTEE
Founder and first President of the Latin American and Caribbean Society of Medical
Oncology (SLACOM). Immediate Past President of the Union for International Cancer
Control (UICC-Geneva) and member of the Executive Committee of the National
Cancer Institute of Argentina.
