Authors: Pelin Incesu, Area Vice President, Middle East and Africa, AstraZeneca
Olfat Berro, Area Head Middle East, Roche Pharmaceuticals
Every one of us will be impacted by cancer during our lives, whether directly or indirectly. As one of the leading causes of death worldwide, a cancer diagnosis can place intense physical and emotional strain on individuals, their loved ones, and their communities. With rates of the disease growing across the Middle East, cancer is also an increasingly significant burden on health systems.
Advances in medical technology have the potential to reverse this upward trajectory but making the latest cancer-fighting technologies available to patients is not happening quickly enough. Meeting this urgent patient need requires that the companies which have developed these technologies, along with other stakeholders (including governments and clinicians), work together to drive forward innovation and access.
Until very recently, the standard treatment for cancer would be based on where cancerous cells were found and how far the disease was thought to have progressed. Now, breakthroughs in our understanding of genetics have opened the door to therapies that are more personalised and tailored to the individual, recognising that each person’s cancer is unique to them and offering patients a better chance of survival.
Known as biomarker testing, this new technology is redefining cancer treatment by tracking changes in genes, proteins and other substances that provide critical information about cancerous cells. Cancer patients can be tested at the time of diagnosis, recurrence, or progression, allowing healthcare practitioners to develop personalised treatment plans that are more effective and minimise side effects.
However, as with all medical innovations, they can only add value if they are accessible to those who need them. The challenge we face today is making biomarker testing accessible to patients. In the Middle East, one of the major barriers to access is that many health practitioners lack sufficient information and education about biomarker testing which leads to patients being unable to explore it as a treatment option.
To work towards a solution, AstraZeneca and Roche are partnering on a new initiative that will support biomarker testing across different tumor types and cancer stages, starting with lung cancer. We strongly believe unconventional partnerships like this one are key to delivering meaningful improvements in the fight against cancer.
The first joint activity is focused on lung cancer, one of the most prevalent forms of cancer in the region. On 7 September, a virtual workshop brought together pathologists, interventional radiologists, interventional pulmonologists and thoracic surgeons from across the region. Its aim was to upskill participants in laboratory tissue handling and molecular profiling, equipping them to identify more patients who can benefit from targeted treatments. Later this year, a steering committee will be formed to develop standard protocols and guidelines for optimal lung cancer diagnostics.
A cancer diagnosis is one of the scariest things a person can face, but medical advances mean that, more than at any other time in human history, cancer need not be a death sentence. By working together to increase public awareness of new technologies while simultaneously equipping health practitioners with the knowledge and skills to deploy them with patients, we can redefine the diagnosis and treatment of cancer across our region and give all cancer patients the best possible chance against the disease.
