Removing barriers: How to Improve the Quality of Cancer Care in Georgia
World Cancer Day is celebrated annually on February 4. This day was established by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) in 2005 to raise awareness on the burden of oncology diseases, methods of their diagnostics, prevention and treatment among population and healthcare professionals.
This initiative is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. For the second year in a row, the key topic of this annual campaign is "Close the care gap": removing barriers to provide patients with oncology diseases with equal access to high quality medical care regardless of their place of residence, age, ethnicity, or race.
According to WHO statistics, in 2020, over 19 million new cases of cancer were detected and about 10 million deaths from all types of cancer were registered. The leaders in terms of lethality were lung cancer (about 1.8 million deaths), colorectal cancer (about 900 thousand deaths), as well as liver cancer (over 830 thousand deaths), gastric cancer (over 700 thousand deaths) and breast cancer (about 700 thousand deaths)1.
In 2020, over 13 thousand new cancer cases were diagnosed in Georgia, and over 33 thousand cases were registered during the five-year period2. Therewith, cancer-related mortality was at a fairly high level – over 8 thousand deaths in 2020 alone2. Breast cancer (14.7% of all cases), lung cancer (10.9%), and colorectal cancer (8.8%) were most often diagnosed during this period2.
One of the key steps to reduce the burden of oncology diseases is early diagnostics and timely Cancer Treatment, since when cancer is detected at late stages, the survival rate is extremely low. Thus, raising awareness on oncology diseases and their risk factors and symptoms is crucial, as well as ensuring equal access to innovative diagnostic methods, introducing screening programs and providing advanced methods for treating malignancies.
"One in five people will receive a diagnosis of cancer within their lifetime. Metastatic breast cancer (mBC), the most advanced stage of breast cancer, remains an incurable disease, that is why it is critical to expand the diagnostic capabilities, improve the quality of medical care and raise the levels of competence of the specialists and awareness of the population. At Pfizer, we are focused both on developing innovative treatments for a wide range of oncology diseases and on providing access to our products for patients all over the world. We strive to advance the frontiers of cancer biology and to translate this knowledge into effective medicines for people living with cancer. Our core areas of interest include: Tumor Cell Biology; Precision Medicine; Tumor Targeted Therapeutics; Integrative
Biotechnology; and Immuno- Oncology. Every year our contribution to the common fight against cancer increases, and we are not going
to stop", commented Zarinna Kozhakhmetova, Medical Director in the CauCar region,
Pfizer.
The advanced cancer treatment concept implies adherence to international and national guidelines, the application of innovative therapies, including targeted and immunooncological. Pfizer is among the leaders of global biopharma with an extensive portfolio of products for cancer treatment for over 30 indications, including breast cancer, lung cancer, kidney and prostate cancer, as well as hemato-oncological cancers. The advances in science have resulted in the development of new classes of pharmaceuticals that significantly extend patients lives with different types of malignant tumors. The research laboratories are continuously searching for ways to influence cancer cells expanding the list of innovative products.
"Cancer is still a serious challenge for humanity. It brings enormous economic costs, intensive load for the healthcare system and, certainly, is a devastating ordeal for a patient and their loved ones. To reduce the burden of oncology diseases, we must act comprehensively. We have to upgrade the existing diagnostic equipment, expand the diagnostics to select personalized therapy suitable for a particular patient depending on the type of tumor, improve radiation treatment, develop surgical methods, organize nuclear medicine centers, arrange modern cancer centers, train a new generation of healthcare professionals, increase the accessibility of the newest cancer drugs, including for children. Further development of the cancer community, increasing the activity of oncologists, their membership at international associations and the development of patient organizations aimed at both scientific achievements and providing high-quality patient care are also priorities", said Dilyara Kaidarova, MD, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Director of the Kazakh Research Institute of Oncology and Radiology, Chief Oncologist Consultant of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, President of the Association of Oncologists of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Member of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Asia Oceania Research of Genital Infection and Neoplasia (AOGIN).
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