Our Mission
Bridging the global divide in cancer care
In the global effort to address cancer, we are committed to levelling the playing field by providing equitable access to knowledge and creating opportunities for growth and development in underserved communities.
We champion comprehensive cancer care – from prevention and diagnosis to treatment, follow-up, and palliative support.
Through empowering caregivers, disseminating critical information, and advocating for patient access to life-saving medications, we strive to save lives and ensure cancer patients receive the best, optimal treatment.
Our Vision
We envision a world where everyone has access to equal, optimal and affordable cancer care and treatment.
"A strategic investment", a call to action by the International Cancer Foundation's President
Fast Facts
The Growing Global Burden of Cancer
The burden of cancer is growing fast. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC):
- There were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths in 2022.
- About 1 in 5 people develop cancer in their lifetime.
- 1 in 9 men and 1 in 12 women die from the disease.
- The estimated number of people who were alive within 5 years following a cancer diagnosis was 53,5 million.
- 10 types of cancer collectively comprised around 2/3 of new cases and deaths globally in 2022. (Data covers 185 countries and 36 cancers)
- Lung cancer was the most commonly occurring cancer worldwide with 2.5 million new cases accounting for 12.4% of the total new cases. Female breast cancer ranked second (2.3 million cases, 11.6%), Colorectal cancer (1.9 million cases, 9.6%) prostate cancer (1.5 million cases, 7.3%), and stomach cancer (970 000 cases, 4.9%).
The Cancer Burden in Low and Middle-income Countries (LMICs)
The IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) highlights the growing burden of cancer along with the disproportionate impact on underserved populations as well as the urgent need to address cancer inequities worldwide (based on available data in countries in 2022).
A few facts – did you know that:
- Global estimates reveal striking inequities in the cancer burden according to the Human Development Index (HDI)*.
- Each year over half of all new cancer cases and two-thirds of cancer deaths occur in LMICs.
- Between 2.4 and 3.7 million avoidable deaths from cancer occur each year; 80% are in LMICs.
- 50-60% of cancer mortality in LMICs is avoidable by applying country-specific strategies for prevention and treatment, compared to 35% in high-income countries.
- Approximately 90% of cervical cancer cases occur in LMICs.
- More than half of women with breast cancer who live in LMICs die from their disease, compared to less than a quarter of women in developed countries.
- In Canada approx. 90% of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia are cured, but in the poorest countries of the world, it’s the opposite: 90% of children will die from the disease.
*The HDI is a statistic developed and compiled by the United Nations to measure the countries’ level of social and economic development, composed of four principal areas of interest: mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, life expectancy at birth and gross national income per capita. HDI is ranked on a scale from 0 to 1.0, with 1.0 being the highest human development – the tiers are very high, high, medium and low human development.
Productivity loss and costs:
- The global value of lost productivity due to cancer exceeds the estimated cost of prevention and treatment. In addition, cancer is THE disease that pushes families into poverty.
- The economic value of lost productivity due to preventable cancer deaths exceeds the cost of cancer care and control by more than US$ 130 billion.
- WHO shows that including a limited number of individual interventions for NCDs (non-chronic diseases)- such as hepatitis B vaccination to prevent liver cancer and cervical cancer screening – costs less than US$1 per capita in low-income countries, US$1.50 in lower-middle-income countries and US$3 in upper-middle-income countries.
- Many CCC (comprehensive cancer control) interventions are less expensive than assumed: 26 of the 29 key drugs used to treat many of the most common, treatable cancers in LMICs are off-patent, making drug treatment relatively inexpensive, at less than US$100 per treatment course for most drugs.
- Yet – too little is being done: Only 5% of global cancer spending goes to LMICs – even though these countries account for nearly 80% of the global cancer burden.
Projected Cancer Burden Increase by 2050
- More than 35 million new cancer cases are projected in 2050, an increase of +77% from the estimated 20 million cases in 2022.
- Cancer cases in North America’s and Europe’s cancer cases will increase at a disproportionally lower rate (between 24-49%),
- The cases in African, Latin American, Asian and Caribbean countries see an increase of 77-140% – highlighting the well-known fact that despite medical advances, their benefits reach disproportionately fewer patients – sadly and most importantly, neglecting those most affected.
- The rapidly increasing global cancer burden reflects both the ageing and growth of populations and changes in people’s exposure to risk factors, some of which are associated with socioeconomic development. Tobacco, alcohol and obesity are major contributors to the increasing incidence of cancer, while air pollution remains a major environmental risk factor.
*Closing the Cancer Divide, An Equity Imperative, 2012, Harvard Global Equity Initiative, Harvard University Press
What do we support
The primary goal of the International Cancer Foundation is to facilitate the empowerment of local communities and healthcare professionals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to advance cancer prevention, treatment, diagnosis, and support services.
To this end, our organization engages in initiatives, with the potential to significantly improve population health and advance cancer care in underserved communities.
Support and Investment Areas:
Strengthening the Capacity of Healthcare Workers
Recognizing the critical role healthcare professionals play in patient care, we are working to accelerate their efforts to strengthen their skills and knowledge by providing training programs and facilitating opportunities for knowledge sharing.
Empowering Patients
We support initiatives that raise awareness, encourage early diagnosis, educate patients, and empower them to become strong advocates for themselves and their communities.
We believe that building strong partnerships with local healthcare professionals, governments, academia, NGOs, and the private sector is key to reducing the burden of cancer in underserved populations.
Get Your Support:
Get support for your cancer-related projects and initiatives for underserved populations: explore our grants, fellowships and funding opportunities.
We prioritize projects with the potential to significantly improve public health outcomes in the fight against cancer, specifically in underprivileged countries and local communities. Dedicated to cancer care and control, we invest in best practices in cancer patient care, research, and registries, empowering patients and professionals and advocating for access worldwide. We facilitate training programs and opportunities and award grants for fellowships and scholarships for healthcare professionals.
The following areas relate to the International Cancer Foundation’s core activities and our investment scope in reducing cancer inequities on a global scale. Explore the areas we support, and check if your project qualifies:
Cancer Control and Care
The International Cancer Foundation allocates resources to initiatives that aim to enhance the quality of cancer care and control the disease.
Preventing Cancer: To educate a broader base of physicians and health care professionals (e.g., nurses) about cancer prevention: General practitioners and organ specialists guiding patients toward healthy lifestyles, improving access to specific vaccines, and implementing reliable methods for early detection of cancer.
Optimal Cancer care: Initiatives and projects that help health care professionals, associations, patient advocates, and governments provide optimal cancer care to patients, from screening to palliative care. ICF is committed to supporting initiatives aimed at reducing health disparities, improving prevention strategies and programs, and strengthening education and training for health care professionals.
Training & Expertise
We are offering tailored fellowships and training opportunities for oncologists and healthcare professionals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Besides, fellowships from high-income countries to LMICs provide an excellent opportunity for young oncologists at any stage of their careers to gain valuable experience and knowledge.
Clinical Unit Visit
The ESMO Clinical Unit Visit Program has been transferred from ESMO to the International Cancer Foundation in 2023.
This eight-week fellowship offers young oncologists the opportunity to gain insight into clinical research at a leading European centre of excellence.
Focus Clinical Oncology
- Gain insight into oncology care and research at a top cancer centre
- Support efforts to expand professional networks with a European institution of excellence
- Apply the host institute’s high-quality procedures and techniques in the home institution
Applicants can focus on a specific patient group or tumour type for the fellowship – if the focus is on geriatric oncology, a list of potential institutes can be found under the filter ‘Clinical Unit Visit – Geriatric Oncology’ (under ‘Type of Fellowship’) on this page.
Each year, the Clinical Unit Visit program (CuV) allows selected applicants to receive a grant of 6,000 € alongside travel costs for a return air/train ticket in economy class (up to €1,000 for travel within Europe and €2,000 for travel outside Europe) from their home institute to their host institute. The home institute receives a €1,000 incentive to cover administrative costs.
Global Expertise Exchange
Collaboration of specialists from different disciplines, universities and patient organizations – Exchange of personnel from the Global North to the Global South and vice versa. Fellowships from high-income countries to LMICs provide an excellent opportunity for young oncologists at any stage of their careers to gain valuable experience and knowledge.
Global oncology exposures, such as certain cancers that have become rare in developed countries (e.g., cervical cancer), remain prevalent in other regions, and there is a wealth of expertise in this field.
ESMO Educational offers (Fellowships, Congresses, preceptorships):
Support to attend ESMO’s main congresses and educational events, either physically or online.
Best Practices: Training for physicians, technicians, and health care workers and implementation of quality-controlled relevant processes and standard operating procedures.
Design Your Training: We are offering tailored fellowships for oncologists and healthcare professionals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These fellowships will provide exposure to specific techniques .Designed for oncologists in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia: Needs-based training co-designed by oncologists in Latin America, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe.
Patient Advocacy and Empowerment
We facilitate training programs and opportunities, as well as award grants for fellowships and scholarships for healthcare professionals.
1. Support to patients’ representative organizations – (ad hoc travel/accommodation grants)
2. Initiatives empowering/voicing patients’ representatives and patients’ representative association
Additionally we provide access to ESMO’s “Patients Today” platform and educational materials for patients and patient’s representatives and organizations.
Data and Knowledge
The ICF is committed to supporting and financing data knowledge, country reports, and surveys on cancer. This enables a deeper understanding of local cancer burdens and drives improvements in care.
Apply to support your project :
Project under 50’000.- USD Project above 50’000.- USDNeed more information? Fill this form!
Kindly complete this questionnaire if your initiative or support request does not fall into any of the four predefined categories above.
Please note: We unfortunately do not support individual patient cases.