Available treatment modality of cancer in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Transitioning from a healthcare system designed to address acute care, to one engineered to tackle chronic care, is forcing health care systems in Low- and Middle-income Countries (LMICs) to restructure and reallocate resources to prepare for their changing health care needs.

This is a particular challenge where governments spend 6% or less of their gross national budget on healthcare. Cancer care, as it is delivered in High-Income-Countries (HICs), is one of the most costly areas for healthcare delivery.

In light of their economic constraints, governments are less likely to effectively addressing the needs for comprehensive cancer care in LMICs.

Managing cancer requires high-quality multimodality treatment including radiotherapy, surgery, drugs, and access to palliative and supportive care. For instance, it is estimated that about half of cancer patients would benefit from radiotherapy for treatment of localized disease, local control, and palliation. A published overview in March 2020, has demonstrated that 28 (52%) of 54 Countries in Africa had access to external beam radiotherapy, 21 (39%) had brachytherapy capacity, and no country had a capacity that matched the estimated treatment need. At 1 machine per 3.6 million people, this falls far below the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommendation of 1 machine per 250,000 people.

References

1. Hanna TP, Kangolle AC. Cancer control in developing countries: Using health data and health services research to measure and improve access, quality and efficiency. BMC Int Health Hum Rights. 2010;10(1):1–12.

2. Anderson BO, Yip CH, Ramsey SD, Bengoa R, Braun S, Fitch M, et al. Breast Cancer in Limited-Resource Countries: Health Care Systems and Public Policy. Breast J. 2006;12(SUPPL. 1):S54–69.

3. Elmore SNC, Polo A, Bourque JM, Pynda Y, van der Merwe D, Grover S, et al. Radiotherapy resources in Africa: an International Atomic Energy Agency update and analysis of projected needs. Lancet Oncol. 2021;22(9):e391–9.