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Advancing patient-centered cancer care in resource-limited countries

Low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) are confronting a growing burden of cancer, with many experiencing disproportionately high mortality rates. This is due to limited resources, inadequate access to specialized care, and fragmented health systems.1,2

Many people living in LMICs often do not receive timely, coordinated care. Patient navigation is an effective way to help people living with cancer and their families overcome challenges that may affect their ability to access care by providing them with personal guidance and individualized assistance. A successful patient navigation program helps ensure timely diagnosis and treatment, increases rates of treatment completion and improves patients’ overall quality of life.

Expanding patient navigation services for people living with cancer in Indonesia, Kenya and Nigeria

The American Cancer Society (ACS) has launched the Supporting Patient Navigation Adoption, Replication, and Knowledge exchange (SPARK) Initiative to strengthen and expand patient navigation services in Indonesia, Kenya and Nigeria. With a $3.5 million commitment from the Merck Foundation over six years (2025-2030), the ACS aims to reach 45,000 individuals newly diagnosed with cancer in these focus countries. 

SPARK builds upon the successes of ACS’s Building Expertise, Advocacy, and Capacity for Oncology Navigation (BEACON) Initiative, which established a proof of concept for patient navigation in LMICs, including Kenya and Uganda. Building on BEACON’s framework, SPARK aims to deepen ACS’s patient navigation impact in Kenya and expand in Nigeria and Indonesia.

In collaboration with local ministries of health, health care institutions and cancer organizations, ACS plans to develop, evaluate and scale sustainable patient navigation programs tailored to each country’s specific cancer care infrastructure and resources and local needs. ACS  will work to raise awareness among key stakeholders about the vital role that patient navigation can play in reducing disparities in cancer care delivery and improving health outcomes. Through these efforts, ACS will help foster the integration of navigation services into the health care systems of Indonesia, Kenya and Nigeria.

[1] Dare, A. J., Knapp, G. C., Romanoff, A., Olasehinde, O., Famurewa, O. C., Komolafe, A. O., … & Kingham, T. P. (2021). High-burden cancers in Middle-income countries: a review of Prevention and early detection strategies targeting At-risk populations. Cancer Prevention Research, 14(12), 1061-1074.

[2] Stefan, D. C., & Tang, S. (2023). Addressing cancer care in low-to middle-income countries: a call for sustainable innovations and impactful research. BMC cancer, 23(1), 756.