Cancer Care in Resource-Limited Countries: Jordan as an Example

Abstract

Jordan, a lower- to middle-income country, is relatively small, but with rapidly growing population and a challenged economy. Cancer is a growing health care problem and currently ranked second, after cardiovascular diseases, as a cause of death. Jordan's national cancer registry continues to suffer from problems mostly related to long lag time in reporting, absence of outcome data, and accurate staging. The number of new patients with cancer diagnosed in Jordan is increasing at an expected, none disturbing rate, fueled by population growth, improving life expectancy, changing population structure that hosts more older population, high rate of obesity, smoking, and lack of adequate exercise. However, age-standardized rate for cancer incidence is significantly lower than Western societies, yet, mortality rate is higher. Despite efforts, cancer is still diagnosed at more advanced stages and at younger age. The Jordan breast cancer program represents a great example of opportunistic screening that led to significant downstaging of breast cancer. Efforts to evaluate the feasibility of screening programs for colorectal and lung cancers are underway. Tremendous efforts resulted in the execution of the largest clinical cancer genetics program in the region that helps identify patients and at-risk relatives for hereditary cancers. Low-resourced countries, including Jordan, will not be able to keep up with the rapidly increasing cost of cancer care. A better access to clinical trials and moving cancer care to ambulatory settings should offset some of this cost. A cancer control program that addresses all issues of cancer care from screening and early detection, through active cost-effective treatment that assures wider access to palliative care, hospice, and survivorship programs under an expanded universal health coverage, is an urgent national health priority.