Guest Editors:
Cristina Stefan: Institute of Global Health Equity Research, Rwanda
Shenglan Tang: Duke University, United States
BMC Cancer is calling for submissions to our Collection on gaps and measures in place to improve cancer control in LMIC.
Cristina Stefan: Institute of Global Health Equity Research, RwandaCristina Stefan is a Professor of Global Health and Medicine and Director of the Institute of Global Health Equity Research (Weiss Chair of Research) at The University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda, providing leadership and developing the young generation of global health and oncology scientists. She obtained her MD in Romania, followed by Master’s degrees in Pediatrics and Oncology in South Africa, a Master’s in Cancer Epidemiology from the United Kingdom, a Ph.D. in medical education, and an MBA from France. She is the first woman elected president of the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer. She was voted the most influential African woman in business and government (medicine) in 2016 and among the top 100 Women Leaders in Healthcare in Asia in 2020. In 2022, she received the most prestigious IARC (International Agency for Research in Cancer) award for women in cancer research.
Shenglan Tang: Duke University, United StatesDr. Shenglan Tang, MD, Ph.D., is a Mary & James Semans Professor of Medicine and Global Health at the Department of Population Health Science of Duke Medical School. Tang has more than 30 years of experience undertaking research on health systems reform, disease control, and maternal and child health in China and other countries and has provided consultancy services on health systems strengthening to many international organizations and governments of developing countries. In 2012, Prof. Tang joined Duke from the WHO’s Tropical Diseases (TDR), based in Geneva, where he was Unit Leader for TB/HIV and Health Systems. Before his assignment at WHO, Prof. Tang was a faculty member at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the UK and the School of Public Health at Fudan University, China.
BMC Cancer is calling for submissions to our Collection on gaps and measures in place to improve cancer control in LMIC.
In recent years, non-communicable diseases, including cancer, have shown a disproportionate increase in incidence and related mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). By 2030, approximately three-quarters of all cancer deaths will occur in LMICs, with one in eight people experiencing a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. Reasons for these disparate trends include better risk factor control in high-income countries (lower infection-associated cancers, anti-smoking campaigns, and other preventive measures), educational resources, increased number of screening and surveillance programs with earlier detection of disease, and improved cancer therapies. In 2015, the United National General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), built on the principle of “leaving no one behind.” The goals highlighted the importance of fighting inequalities across the world, and specifically, two goals, SDG3 and SDG10, have the ambitious aim of reducing disparities within and among countries and ensuring healthy lives for all at all ages. In addition, the 2020 WHO report on cancer clearly states that cancer control is an integral component of the path toward universal health coverage and achieving SDGs. By investing wisely and equitably, cancer cases and deaths can be avoided, and premature mortality can be reduced by 2030.
Hence, to combat the high mortality of preventable and treatable cancer in LMICs, it is imperative to improve population-based screening programs and educate the public to bridge knowledge gaps, address misconceptions, and debunk myths. In addition, several gaps in the research enterprise of LMICs, such as the scarcity of reliable data, a lack of clinical trials, as well as the lack of infrastructure and trained human resources, must be addressed to solve local and regional problems with acceptable, feasible, effective, and implementable solutions.
In recognition of this relevant field, BMC Cancer has launched this Collection which encourages submissions including but not limited to those addressing:
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Most new cancer cases are currently arising in low- and middle-income countries, where their outcomes are significantly poorer compared to high-income countries. Innovative solutions are imperiously needed to ...
This Collection welcomes the submission of Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Cancer control in low- and middle-income countries" from the dropdown menu.
Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.
The Guest Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Guest Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.