The International Cancer Expert Corps (ICEC) published a study on access to diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy technologies in the Baltic countries, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. Below are the key findings related to Central Asia, excluding Turkmenistan, as researchers were not able to obtain any engagement from the country.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally among non-communicable diseases. However, only 10-40% of patients with cancer in low-income and middle-income countries were able to access curative or palliative radiotherapy in 2015.
Cancer Care Deficiencies in Central Asia:
- Lack of Technology and Expertise: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have extremely low External Beam Radiotherapy (EBRT) capacity, with very few machines available per million people. They also face a severe shortage of trained personnel, such as radiation oncologists and medical physicists. While Kazakhstan has more radiation oncologists, its EBRT capacity remains insufficient, highlighting an imbalance between expertise and necessary equipment.
- Low Investment: Limited GDPs in Central Asian countries, excluding Kazakhstan, restrict their ability to acquire and maintain advanced cancer care technology like linear accelerators, essential for effective treatment. This also results in lower cancer detection rates and poorer treatment outcomes.
- Data Gaps: The absence of reliable cancer registries in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan hinders the accurate assessment of cancer burden, making resource planning and allocation difficult.
Key Correlations:
- Improved access to diagnostic imaging correlates with higher reported cancer incidence rates, emphasizing the role of early detection.
- Greater availability of radiotherapy, particularly linear accelerators, improves cancer survival rates, as seen in countries with better cancer mortality-to-incidence ratios (Baltic countries).
The study urges increased investment in cancer care infrastructure, including radiotherapy equipment and personnel training, to address resource gaps. It also calls for international collaboration to reduce disparities and improve cancer care outcomes in resource-limited countries like those in Central Asia.
