Article IV of the Charter states:
Despite the considerable strides that have been taken in the fight against cancer, survival outcomes vary dramatically throughout the world – not just between countries, not just between cities, but even between institutions within the same city. Wide variations in standards of care and access to quality cancer care a major cause of these discrepancies – and the often unnecessary morbidity and mortality that result.
The parties reaffirm Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that every individual “has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing housing and medical care”. Given the ubiquitous presence of cancer and its impact on society the parties commit to promote quality cancer care within the local economic context for all individual. The parties therefore endeavor to promote:
- Evidence-based medical practice and clear definition of “quality care” according to all available scientific evidence.
- Systematic development of guidelines based on the best available evidence for prevention, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care.
- Appropriate prioritization of quality anti-cancer care at every level of healthcare provision, consistent with the total burden of disease.
- Intensified cancer specialization and better integration of care among medial disciplines.
- Widespread patient access to high quality clinical trials.
How have these points been addressed in the last 24 years?
Both the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) have developed a set of Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) for various cancers that doctors can and should use when treating patients. Some of the CPGs are therapy-dependent and might not apply to all nations everywhere if the resources for these therapies do not exist. ASCO has set up resource-dependent guidelines for several different cancer types, giving a framework to countries that might not have the full optimal resources to treat these cancers at their disposal.
Oncological fields have seen a lot of changes in specialization, partially in response to these guidelines. There are now sub-specializations for medical/clinical oncology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology, pediatric oncology, hematologic oncology, gynecologic oncology, neuro-oncology, and uro-oncology to name a few, each of which deals with different types of cancers, and different treatment approaches to cancers, allowing for more specialized and focused care to occur.
Additionally, there are regulations in place in several different countries aimed at ensuring that patients have access to the latest clinical trials for cancer treatments. These regulations include:
- The Right to Try Act – 2018 in the United States, which allows patients with life-threatening conditions, such as cancer, to access experimental treatments that have passed Phase I of clinical trials but are not yet fully approved by the FDA. This provides an avenue for patients to try potentially life-saving treatments when no other options are available.
- China’s Drug Approval Reforms in which the National Medical Products Administration has implemented reforms to speed up the approval process for new cancer drugs, thus giving people quicker access to new treatments
- Japan’s SAKIGAKE Designation system, which accelerates the development and review of innovative medical products, including cancer treatments.
- Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe research and innovation programs, which have funded numerous cancer research projects, facilitating the development of new treatments and improving access to innovative therapies. Horizon Europe, the successor to Horizon 2020, continues to support cancer research and innovation.
- Regulation on Clinical Trials (EU No 536/2014), which aims to harmonize and streamline the approval process for clinical trials across EU member states, making it easier for cancer patients to participate in clinical trials and access new treatments.