World Cancer Research Day 2023: the Access Cancer Care India (ACCI) project

To mark World Cancer Research Day, on 24 September, and promote this year’s theme of “integrating diversity, advancing research, and achieving equity”, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is highlighting some of the research projects that IARC scientists are conducting to ensure that diverse populations are represented and included in cancer research, so that underrepresented groups can benefit from advances in prevention and early detection.

Late diagnosis of cancer is one of the most serious challenges for patients and health-care systems in low- and middle-income settings. IARC scientists and partners are currently implementing the Access Cancer Care India (ACCI) project, an initiative to design and evaluate strategies to improve early diagnosis of cancer among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations in India.

The ACCI research team is focusing on breast cancer, cervical cancer, and oral cancer, which are among the most commonly occurring cancer types in these population groups in India. Cost-effective interventions to improve early diagnosis through screening and better access to diagnosis exist. However, there have been few studies on how to put these into place in complex environments, adapting to the local needs and health systems.

Research to understand the implementation of early diagnosis and screening is essential to adapt these approaches to the unique social, economic, political, and health conditions in each country. The ACCI project will help to identify barriers to access to cancer early detection services, develop capacity to reduce the diagnostic and treatment delays, design strategies to improve participation in screening programmes, and implement a pilot programme integrating these findings. This will help to create a more equitable system, enabling disadvantaged groups to access suitable cancer detection and care services.