Cancer as a Global Health Issue: Impact and Collaborative Care Delivery

Briefly describe a global health issue

Cancer is a monster disease that results from the uncontrollable growth of some body cells. The rapid cell division destroys the body tissue. Unlike ordinary body cells that grow, divide, and die when they are supposed to, cancer cells grow and divide rapidly without dying when they should. Cancer is considered a global health concern because it affects people of all races, ages, and regions, causing severe suffering globally (Soerjomataram aram & Bray, 2021).

Impact of Cancer on Public Health Care Systems

Cancer has caused dire effects on people globally. Many countries have experienced financial struggles in an attempt to curb cancer. A significant proportion of funds have to be set aside to deal with cancer-associated problems. Additionally, cancer has increased poverty levels in many countries due to the high cost of managing and treating it. It also hinders people's ability to work and be productive, accelerating poverty and reducing human capital in many countries (Clinton et al., 2020). Another impact of cancer is death. Cancer is categorized among the major causes of death in the world. The life expectancy of people with cancer is low, leading to premature death. Moreover, cancer is among the leading causes of mental disorders in the world (Lortet-Tieulent et al., 2020). Its fatal nature causes severe stress and anxiety in patients and their families once a diagnosis reveals its presence.

How healthcare delivery work collaboratively to address cancer

Collaborative efforts are being synergized to help control and manage cancer. Health practitioners and specialists are collaboratively conducting extensive and intensive research about cancer. Any helpful information obtained from such research is shared globally to ensure that it is accessible to all people. Moreover, equipment and machines suitable for the treatment and management of cancer are invented and distributed globally to curb cancer (Clinton et al., 2020). Governments are using integrated techniques to prioritize cancer control and prevention from national levels to global levels. Financial resources from national to global levels are allocated to cancer care. Global funding is provided to less developed countries to enable them to manage cancer. The stakeholders working on cancer issues include different countries' governments, health specialists such as doctors, international organizations such as World Health Organizations, and non-governmental organizations.

References

• Clinton, S. K., Giovannucci, E. L., & Hursting, S. D. (2020). The world cancer research fund/American institute for cancer research third expert report on diet, nutrition, physical activity, and cancer: impact and future directions. The Journal of nutrition, 150(4), 663-671. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31758189/
• Lortet-Tieulent, J., Georges, D., Bray, F., & Vaccarella, S. (2020). Profiling global cancer incidence and mortality by socioeconomic development. International Journal of Cancer, 147(11), 3029-3036. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32449164/
• Soerjomataram, I., & Bray, F. (2021). Planning for tomorrow: global cancer incidence and the role of prevention 2020-2070. Nature reviews Clinical oncology, 18(10), 663-672. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34079102/