World Cancer Day: COVID-19’s Impact on the Fight Against Cancer

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, responsible for one-in-six fatalities in 2018 and taking the lives of 9.5 million people. COVID-19, a highly transmissible virus, has to date infected over 103 million people globally, and killed 2.24 million. Tackling cancer in the shadow of COVID-19 has been a priority for the IAEA, which has been cooperating with the World Health Organization to provide assistance around the world.

Speaking first in the day’s panel discussion, May Abdel-Wahab, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Human Health highlighted the importance of radiation medicine in the modern management of cancer patients and shared how the IAEA is promoting and developing radiation medicine in Member States in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Radiotherapy has been an optimal treatment option during the COVID-19 pandemic for cancer patients because it does not compete for in-demand hospital resources such as intensive care unit beds and is amenable to treatments with shorter regimens of radiation, thus minimizing exposure to patients and medical personnel,” she said. “The IAEA has supported medical professionals working in radiation oncology, nuclear medicine and radiology practices through guidance documents, webinars and publications to ensure the continuity of these essential services.”

While in the last 5 years, there has been an increase of around 5 per cent in the number of radiotherapy centres globally, still more than 70 countries have no radiotherapy machines at all — 28 of them are in Africa.

Lisa Stevens, Director of the IAEA’s Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT), shared how the Agency is supporting countries in cancer control and resource mobilisation for cancer activities under the current circumstances. “In spite of the pandemic, we were able to support three Member States in reviews of their cancer control activities and thirteen Member States held meetings with international experts to review progress and ongoing needs identified in previous imPACT Reviews. We also were able to continue to mobilize financial resources to support cancer activities.”

International coordination and support are critical to helping developing countries address the challenges involved in building cancer care capacities for cancer control, said Ghislain D'Hoop, Belgium’s Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the international organizations in Vienna. 

He highlighted Belgium's contributions to enhance education and training in nuclear medicine and radiotherapy. Belgium has supported the development of e-learning modules, guidance documents and software platforms implemented through the Human Health Programme of the IAEA to support continued education and facilitate broad access to professional information. "These initiatives are of fundamental importance during the Covid pandemic, where physical meetings and trainings are limited," D'Hoop said.

He also highlighted the country's successive contributions to the UN Joint Global Programme on Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, supporting activities in Morocco and Tanzania, which included developing e-learning modules on image-guided brachytherapy for cervical cancer. "Despite the Covid challenges, activities must and can be implemented to continue the fight against cancer," he said.

D'Hoop announced that his country and France will be allocating EUR 160 000 to an IAEA project advancing cancer care in Niger. “Every day is cancer day and we do well to remind ourselves of the millions that fight cancer. Imagine fighting both COVID and cancer in these uncertain times. We must act, and indeed the IAEA is acting,” D’Hoop said.

An IAEA project supported by Belgium and France will send a physician from Niger for training in Algeria — contributing to filling the gap of qualified cancer care professionals in the country and helping to ensure sustainability of care control efforts.

“The support to Niger is a good example of two countries of the North pulling their resources together to help a country in the South through South-South cooperation,” said France’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna, Xavier Sticker.

The patterns and often the causes of cancer in developing countries differ from those in high-income countries. This is particularly noticeable in cervical cancer, which kills 300 000 women each year, of whom 90 per cent are in developing countries — these differences are often due to fewer Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations, a lack of effective screening programmes, and limited treatment options. Interventions are needed across the entire cancer control continuum to reduce cervical cancer incidences in developing countries.

Azzeddine Farhane, Ambassador of Morocco to Austria and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna, is the President of the 64th session of the IAEA General Conference and in his statement he explained why his country has chosen to make cervical cancer in Africa a priority.  

“Nineteen out of the top twenty countries with cervical cancer incidences are in Africa, and 268 million women aged fifteen and above are at risk of developing cervical cancer. Morocco is proposing a resolution for the 65th IAEA General Conference to collectively address this issue by gathering all stakeholders and putting forward the role of nuclear technologies in the fight against cervical cancer on the Agency’s agenda,” he added.

Responding to cancer and COVID-19, Farhane also explained how his country had been working with the IAEA and other African countries in a 'triangular cooperation' approach. The IAEA through Technical Cooperation Projects, has supported Morocco in South-South cooperation by organising training workshops and courses in Morocco for hundreds of Moroccan and African participants — highlighting that 43 Moroccan experts were also sent by the IAEA to other African countries.

Farhane also said his country has received crucial equipment from the IAEA, such as RT-PCR kits, reagents, PPE and mobile X-ray machines and that 231 Moroccans had participated in courses organised by the IAEA abroad.

Bringing insights from her role as a radiation oncologist and senior consultant at the Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Hospital Jakarta, Indonesia, Soehartati Gondhowiardjo described how the COVID-19 situation has impacted access to cancer care, specifically to radiotherapy in Indonesia. “The IAEA’s comprehensive e-learning platforms have been a very useful tool to provide technical resources to health professionals on the ground, and reduce confusion during the pandemic,” she said. Describing a swathe of virtual tools and programmes provided by the Agency, Ms Gondhowiardjo said the IAEA’s Asia-Pacific Radiation Oncology Network (ASPRONET) allowed her to connect with counterparts in the region and enabled them to learn from one another’s experience. “These tools allow oncologists across Member States discuss common difficulties and determine the best solutions for solving cancer cases.”

The IAEA will continue to work with countries globally to address cancer and will later this month hold its first large international conference of the year: The International Conference on Advances in Radiation Oncology (ICARO-3). Gathering leading experts from around the world, ICARO-3 will review best practices in radiotherapy and discuss the future potential of technological, medical physics and molecular/biological innovations using the most advanced breakthroughs of nuclear and nuclear derived science and applications. Learn more about and register for ICARO-3, here.