Cancer research in Pakistan: Opportunities, challenges and the way forward.

ABSTRACT

Chronic disease disparities, in low and middle income countries (LMICs), need to be addressed through research to improve health equity. Most LMICs including Pakistan have a huge burden of non communicable disease (NCDs) like cancer and a high number of deaths due to cancer. National Cancer Control Programmes are recommended for countries with high cancer burden like Pakistan to ensure systematic implementation of evidence based strategies for cancer control however there is limited capacity for evidence generation through research. We describe the existing status for cancer registries and research in Pakistan and suggest a syndemic framework to prioritize contextually relevant research which can advance cancer health equity for Pakistani population.