Cancer: Global Health Perspectives

Abstract

Chemotherapy to patients with cancer remains an effective mode of treatment of the disease, but it is associated with many side effects including mild or dose-­‐limiting toxicities such as alopecia, myelosuppression, gastrointestinal dysfunctions, neurologic toxicities, and immune suppression which results in infections and cancer cell proliferation. Although economic analysis of treatment in health care systems may be applied to the full range of interventions that make up a cancer service, the economic impact of cancer in health care systems remains one where much attention, in the context of complementary medicine, needs to be directed. Predicting the cost-­‐ effectiveness of developing prevention, screening and treatment strategies continue to be the focus strategies to optimize cancer care.

KEY WORDS: Cancer; Global health perspectives; Palliative care; Stem cell cancer; Dietary components and chemoprevention