Cancer is an increasingly urgent global health issue. By 2030, the global cancer burden is projected to grow by 70 percent, and more than two-thirds of cancer deaths are occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Yet only 2 percent of health funding in these countries is directed toward cancer and other noncommunicable diseases. Many of the highest-burden cancers in these regions are associated with infectious diseases, including HIV, human papillomavirus, and viral hepatitis.
Fred Hutch has a growing cross-divisional Global Oncology program that investigates globally relevant cancers and seeks to understand the varied genetics and biology of common cancers around the world. We aim to develop high-impact, low-cost diagnostic tools, and therapies that can be used in low-resource settings worldwide.
In sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than half of people diagnosed with breast cancer live beyond five years, compared with almost 90 percent in the United States. We are testing a diagnostic tool that is widely available in Africa to assess its performance in determining a tumor’s hormone receptor status and other characteristics that can guide treatment. We will study the feasibility of a three-drug chemotherapy regimen that can be given orally rather than intravenously. In addition, we are using genetic sequencing to look for mutations that may explain why breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa tends to strike younger women and be especially aggressive — characteristics also seen in breast cancer in African-American women.
— Dr. Edus Warren, Program Head, Global Oncology
Read highlights of Global Oncology’s scientific and training accomplishments during fiscal year 2021. Learn more about our continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including conducting research safely, scaling up SARS-CoV-2 testing and securing personal protective equipment for our teams in Kampala.