INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR CANCER TREATMENT AND RESEARCH
CANCER CONTROL 2015 147
many cancer plans have little impact because of the limited
resources and great difficulty in expanding interventions to
very poor populations which cannot "purchase" their own
health-care needs and which have little or no chance of
expanding their present resources. Having a cancer plan is not
enough. Successful cancer plans require knowledge and a
budget in addition to educated health professionals.
INCTR's structure
INCTR has consultants and volunteers dedicated to the
accomplishment of its goals. Although its headquarters are
located in Brussels, it has branches in the United States,
Canada, Brazil, United Kingdom, France, Egypt, Nepal and
India. Branches are legally established NGOs that contribute
to and conduct programmes and projects that are relevant to
INCTR's mission.
Resource development, administration and programmes
(e.g., adult oncology, paediatric oncology, cancer registries,
pathology and palliative care are supervised by an Executive
Committee or directly by the branches. The Executive
Committee is responsible to INCTR's Governing Council.
Programmes and projects are developed with the participation,
input and advice of various INCTR committees and strategy
groups as well as independent scientific advisers. Programmes
and projects are conducted in collaboration with partner
institutions involved with cancer research, diagnosis and
treatment, including palliative care and education in countries
with limited resources.
Individuals, institutions or organizations often choose to
serve as Associate Members who contribute financially to the
work of INCTR.
What does INCTR do?
INCTR addresses all aspects of cancer control with the overall
goal of lessening the morbidity and mortality from cancer. It
emphasizes training and education of health-care
professionals in LMICs to ensure that "best practices" are
instilled in cancer prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and
palliative care. Research is an integral part of its work with its
partners in LMICs in order to accurately document the cancer
burden - including the types of cancer and extent of disease,
the outcomes of prevention and early detection campaigns and
the efficacy, toxicity and cost of treatment delivered. It also
emphasizes public awareness of cancer, which is an essential
component of early diagnosis. INCTR has a variety of
programmes that are carried out in close collaboration with its
branches as well as its partner institutions in developing
countries. INCTR's current programmes include:
‰ adult oncology;
‰ cancer registry;
‰ clinical research;
‰ foundational;
‰ palliative care;
‰ paediatric oncology;
‰ pathology.
INCTR's projects and achievements
Each INCTR programme has goals and
objectives in line with the overall mission of
the organization, divided into separate
projects. Many projects have been conducted
or are on-going and include:
Adult oncology
‰ Prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment
of selected cancers in poor urban areas and in
rural and tribal regions in the state of
‰ To build capacity for cancer prevention, diagnosis,
treatment and palliation through professional education
and training
‰ To conduct, or provide materials for the conduct of
educational campaigns for the public and primary care
doctors about the causes of cancer and living a healthier life
‰ To work with experts in-country to conduct locally relevant
research on cancer control
Box 2: Strategies
Founder and
active members
Associate members
Advisory Board
Branches
Programmes
Clinical research
Pathology
Paediatric oncology
Cancer registry
Oncology nursing
Foundational
Palliative care
Governing Council
Executive Committee
Committees
Ethical
review
OERC
consortium Funding
Disease-specific
startegy groups A
Figure 2: INCTR structure
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
% of global workforce
Size of the dots is proportional to total health expenditure
% of global burden of disease
Western Pacific
Europe
Americas
Africa
South-East Asia
Eastern Mediterranean
(Source: WHO, 2006)
Distribution of health workers by level of health expenditure
and burden of disease, WHO regions
25
Figure 1: Disease burden and resources