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Bringing cancer care to the poor: experiences from Rwanda

Nature Reviews Cancer volume 14, pages 815–821 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

The knowledge and tools to cure many cancer patients exist in developed countries but are unavailable to many who live in the developing world, resulting in unnecessary loss of life. Bringing cancer care to the poor, particularly to low-income countries, is a great challenge, but it is one that we believe can be met through partnerships, careful planning and a set of guiding principles. Alongside vaccinations, screening and other cancer-prevention efforts, treatment must be a central component of any cancer programme from the start. It is also critical that these programmes include implementation research to determine programmatic efficacy, where gaps in care still exist and where improvements can be made. This article discusses these issues using the example of Rwanda's expanding national cancer programme.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the staff of the Rwandan Ministry of Health, PIH and BCCOE.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA,

    Lawrence N. Shulman

  2. and at Partners In Heath, 888 Commonwealth Avenue, third Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.,

    Lawrence N. Shulman

  3. Ministry of Health, Government of Rwanda, P.O. Box 84, Kigali, Rwanda,

    Tharcisse Mpunga

  4. and at the University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences, P.O. Box 59, Musanze, Rwanda.,

    Tharcisse Mpunga

  5. Partners In Health — Inshuti Mu Buzima, P.O. Box 3432, Kigali, Rwanda,

    Neo Tapela

  6. and at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 USA.,

    Neo Tapela

  7. Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, 02215, Massachusetts, USA

    Claire M. Wagner

  8. Partners In Heath — Inshuti Mu Buzima, P.O. Box 3432, Kigali, Rwanda

    Temidayo Fadelu

  9. Ministry of Health, Government of Rwanda, PO Box 84, Kigali, Rwanda; and at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, 1 Rope Ferry Road, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA.,

    Agnes Binagwaho

  10. Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115,

    Agnes Binagwaho

Authors
  1. Lawrence N. Shulman
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  2. Tharcisse Mpunga
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  3. Neo Tapela
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  4. Claire M. Wagner
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  6. Agnes Binagwaho
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lawrence N. Shulman.

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Shulman, L., Mpunga, T., Tapela, N. et al. Bringing cancer care to the poor: experiences from Rwanda. Nat Rev Cancer 14, 815–821 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc3848

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