The World Health Organization estimates that 7.6 million people died of cancer in 2005 and 84 million people will die in the next 10 years if action is not taken.
More than 70% of all cancer deaths occur in low and middle income countries, where resources available for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer are limited or nonexistent.
Yet cancer is to a large extent avoidable. Over 40% of all cancers can be prevented. Some of the most common cancers are curable if detected early and treated. Even with late cancer, the suffering of patients can be relieved with good palliative care.
Cancer control: knowledge into action: WHO guide for effective programmes is a series of six modules offering guidance on all important aspects of effective cancer control planning and implementation.
Worldwide, millions of cancer patients can be cured or have their lives prolonged considerably if they have timely access to adequate diagnosis and treatment services.
This module addresses specific aspects of diagnosis and treatment. It is based on the Planning module, which provides a comprehensive understanding of the overall cancer control planning process and its main steps. The Diagnosis and treatment module discusses how to develop an effective diagnosis and treatment programme with a public health approach, within the context of a national cancer control programme.
The production of this publication was made possible through the generous financial support of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), USA, and the National Cancer Institute (INCa), France. We would also like to thank the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the National Cancer Center (NCC) of the Republic of Korea, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) for their financial support.
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