title: Bringing cancer care to the poor: experiences from Rwanda.
abstract: The knowledge and tools to cure many cancer patients exist in developed countries but are unavailable to many who live in the developing world, resulting in unnecessary loss of life. Bringing cancer care to the poor, particularly to low-income countries, is a great challenge, but it is one that we believe can be met through partnerships, careful planning and a set of guiding principles. Alongside vaccinations, screening and other cancer-prevention efforts, treatment must be a central component of any cancer programme from the start. It is also critical that these programmes include implementation research to determine programmatic efficacy, where gaps in care still exist and where improvements can be made. This article discusses these issues using the example of Rwanda's expanding national cancer programme.
authors.affiliation: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA; and at Partners In Heath, 888 Commonwealth Avenue, third Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Lawrence N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Shulman
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health, Government of Rwanda, P.O. Box 84, Kigali, Rwanda; and at the University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences, P.O. Box 59, Musanze, Rwanda.
authors.forename: Tharcisse
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mpunga
authors.affiliation: Partners In Health - Inshuti Mu Buzima, P.O. Box 3432, Kigali, Rwanda; and at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 USA.
authors.forename: Neo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tapela
authors.affiliation: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Claire M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Partners In Heath - Inshuti Mu Buzima, P.O. Box 3432, Kigali, Rwanda.
authors.forename: Temidayo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fadelu
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health, Government of Rwanda, PO Box 84, Kigali, Rwanda; Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115; and at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, 1 Rope Ferry Road, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA.
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Binagwaho
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D006295:Health Resources; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012432:Rwanda