World Cancer Day: Closing the gap in cancer care
World Cancer Day: Closing the gap in cancer care
BRUSSELS - Half the world’s population lacks access to the full range of essential health services. People who seek cancer care hit barriers at every turn. We try to close the gap and offer people with cancer a free information service for treatment related questions, My Cancer Navigator. In 2022 we helped 325 patients, but more patients need support. So please, on World Cancer Day, spread the word!
When it comes to cancer, finding reliable and understandable information is not easy, even though we live in a time of awe-inspiring advancements in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. We have a free service, My Cancer Navigator, for everyone who is confronted with cancer: cancer patients, but also their family and friends. We give them personalized information about their disease and about their treatment options. Because we believe people have the right to receive answers to their health questions.
My Cancer Navigator was contacted by 325 patients in 2022, or 23% more than the year before.
- 58% were women, 42% were men.
- 85% of them reached out for the very first time
- 11% came back more than once with questions.
- 1 out of 4 had gastrointestinal cancer (28%)
- 1 out of 5 was diagnosed with breast cancer (22%)
- 1 out of 10 was confronted with a gynaecological type of cancer (9%)
What were the cancer patients looking for? Most questions were about a specific treatment: is the therapy I am having right now the best option for me? Are there other treatment options? Maybe there’s a clinical trial I could join, with a new therapy?
We offer cancer patients reliable answers, with evidence-based information, in a language that is understandable. We encourage them to follow a shared-decision process with their healthcare team and relatives, and to make well-considered decisions about their treatment.
On this World Cancer Day, please let the world know about us and about our free service My Cancer Navigator. Our information empowers patients and can be life-saving. Spread the word end help to close the gap.