Making a Difference in Cancer Care

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions to cancer services and exacerbated existing health inequities, with a high risk of seeing an increase in cancers diagnosed at a later stage which can lead to cancer-related deaths. “Understanding and addressing the social determinants of health and their impact on cancer can considerably improve outcomes for at-risk populations, particularly for cancers that can be more easily detected and treated such as cervical, breast, colorectal and childhood cancers,” says Dr Miriam Mutebi, Member of the Board, Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and Consultant Breast Surgical Oncologist, Clinical epidemiologist and health systems researcher, Aga Khan University Hospital, Kenya. This year the UICC launched a new three-year campaign for World Cancer Day to bring together individuals, organisations and governments around the world in an effort to create awareness and help close the gap in cancer care.