Closing the Care Gap Around the World - World Cancer Day

Cancer doesn’t care. But we do.

Cancer doesn’t care about where you live, what you look like, or whether you have fast access to treatment. If you have cancer: You. Have. Cancer.

It’s well known that cancer is highly diverse and behaves uniquely in every single patient. The shift to customized treatments continues and the urgency of the challenge propels the breakneck pace of technological advances to help find solutions and quickly. Massive amounts of data are being generated and innovative solutions are being created to develop the best possible treatments, yet sadly, cancer is still one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide.

We have a great opportunity to harness this technology and data towards solving some of the disparities in cancer care. It is the vision of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) that every patient should be allowed to benefit from the same standard of treatment (equality in care); yet, unless equity is provided – customized access or distribution of care (through funds, transportation, language, training, telehealth, etc), we have no chance of beating cancer. Just like a general cancer treatment cannot be applied to all patients, removing barriers to care will take creative and distinct strategies, depending on location and circumstance.

At Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, we’re working around the world to help achieve this goal by enhancing cancer education and improving patient care by making it easier to access services and treatments. Together with patient advocacy groups, medical professionals and more, we are working tirelessly every day to bring us a step closer to realizing equal access to care through innovation.

No patient with cancer should be denied care because of social determinants. It’s time to unite and work together so that we all are empowered to close the gap in cancer care.  

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