The international cancer expert corps: a unique approach for sustainable cancer care in low and lower-middle income countries

C Norman Coleman; Silvia C Formenti; Tim R Williams; Daniel G Petereit; Khee C Soo; John Wong; Nelson Chao; Lawrence N Shulman; Surbhi Grover; Ian Magrath; Stephen Hahn; Fei-Fei Liu; Theodore DeWeese; Samir N Khleif; Michael Steinberg; Lawrence Roth; David A Pistenmaa; Richard R Love; Majid Mohiuddin; Bhadrasain Vikram

doi:10.3389/fonc.2014.00333

The international cancer expert corps: a unique approach for sustainable cancer care in low and lower-middle income countries

Front Oncol. 2014 Nov 19:4:333. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2014.00333. eCollection 2014.

Authors

C Norman Coleman¹, Silvia C Formenti², Tim R Williams³, Daniel G Petereit⁴, Khee C Soo⁵, John Wong⁶, Nelson Chao⁷, Lawrence N Shulman⁸, Surbhi Grover⁹, Ian Magrath¹⁰, Stephen Hahn⁹, Fei-Fei Liu¹¹, Theodore DeWeese¹², Samir N Khleif¹³, Michael Steinberg¹⁴, Lawrence Roth¹, David A Pistenmaa¹, Richard R Love¹⁵, Majid Mohiuddin¹⁶, Bhadrasain Vikram¹⁷

Affiliations

¹ International Cancer Expert Corps , Chevy Chase, MD , USA.
² New York University Medical School , New York, NY , USA.
³ Lynn Cancer Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital , Boca Raton, FL , USA.
⁴ American Indian "Walking Forward" Program , Rapid City, SD , USA.
⁵ National Cancer Center , Singapore , Singapore.
⁶ National University Cancer Institute, National University of Singapore , Singapore , Singapore.
⁷ Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapy, BMT and Global Cancer, Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University , Durham, NC , USA.
⁸ Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School , Boston, MA , USA.
⁹ Department of Radiation Oncology, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, PA , USA.
¹⁰ International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research , Brussels , Belgium.
¹¹ Department of Radiation Oncology, Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON , Canada.
¹² Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, MD , USA.
¹³ Cancer Center, Georgia Regents University , Augusta, GA , USA.
¹⁴ Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California Los Angeles , Los Angeles, CA , USA.
¹⁵ International Cancer Expert Corps , Chevy Chase, MD , USA ; International Breast Cancer Research Foundation , Madison, WI , USA.
¹⁶ Radiation Oncology Consultants, Ltd. , Park Ridge, IL , USA.
¹⁷ Radiation Research Program, National Cancer Institute , Bethesda, MD , USA.

Abstract

The growing burden of non-communicable diseases including cancer in low- and lower-middle income countries (LMICs) and in geographic-access limited settings within resource-rich countries requires effective and sustainable solutions. The International Cancer Expert Corps (ICEC) is pioneering a novel global mentorship-partnership model to address workforce capability and capacity within cancer disparities regions built on the requirement for local investment in personnel and infrastructure. Radiation oncology will be a key component given its efficacy for cure even for the advanced stages of disease often encountered and for palliation. The goal for an ICEC Center within these health disparities settings is to develop and retain a high-quality sustainable workforce who can provide the best possible cancer care, conduct research, and become a regional center of excellence. The ICEC Center can also serve as a focal point for economic, social, and healthcare system improvement. ICEC is establishing teams of Experts with expertise to mentor in the broad range of subjects required to establish and sustain cancer care programs. The Hubs are cancer centers or other groups and professional societies in resource-rich settings that will comprise the global infrastructure coordinated by ICEC Central. A transformational tenet of ICEC is that altruistic, human-service activity should be an integral part of a healthcare career. To achieve a critical mass of mentors ICEC is working with three groups: academia, private practice, and senior mentors/retirees. While in-kind support will be important, ICEC seeks support for the career time dedicated to this activity through grants, government support, industry, and philanthropy. Providing care for people with cancer in LMICs has been a recalcitrant problem. The alarming increase in the global burden of cancer in LMICs underscores the urgency and makes this an opportune time fornovel and sustainable solutions to transform cancer care globally.

Keywords: cancer; global health; health disparities; non-communicable diseases; underserved.

Publication types

Review