Cancer Situation In India: How Clinical Trials Hold The Key To Improving Outcomes

With more than 800,000 cases reported in India every year, cancer has rapidly emerged as one of the deadliest diseases in the country. The reason behind the surge is the lack of clinical trials.

Cancer has rapidly emerged as one of the deadliest diseases in India. Even when the precise cause of the disease is still debatable, the common consensus is that they are lifestyle-related, have long latency periods and their treatment requires specialized medical facilities as well as human resources. As per the cancer registry, India adds nearly 800,000 new cases of cancer each year to a burden which is expected to be at least 2.4 million active cancer cases at any given time.

India also happens to be one of the very few countries in the developing world that has a strategic National Cancer Control Programme in place. There is a holistic vision adopted by the programme, which includes early diagnosis and treatment of cancers, distribution of therapy services across India, pain relief and setting up of palliative care infrastructure. Screening of cancer is a key element in the strategies to tackle the cancer menace.

Major Reasons Why Cancer Is A Dangerous Disease

Also, unlike the common perception that there are no good cancer care centres in India, one of the major reasons behind the menace is that the existing facilities are few and far spread out across the vast landscape. The other major reason that makes cancer a highly morbid disease is the very late-stage detection in most cases. More than the hospitals, it is the diagnostic facilities that are almost non-existent in rural and remote areas. While there are district hospitals all over the country that offer reasonable specialist services, they need to be augmented by diagnostic services.

Once a patient is diagnosed with cancer, it is nearly an insurmountable challenge for most people from thereon. Treatment and therapies such as chemotherapy sessions are really expensive. An average session costs a lot more than an average person's monthly earnings. That's why a majority of Indian cancer patients fail to avail the right care even if they have a chance at recovery. In fact, the financial burden caused by cancer treatment often sends entire families into poverty especially if the main earning member of the family is diagnosed with the disease. There thus needs to be a greater focus, research and development of drugs and therapies that can make cancer treatment more accessible and affordable for the average Indian.

The lack of cancer trials in India has been a major obstacle in the path of research and development from the therapeutic as well as drug development perspective. Unlike the western countries like the US or various European nations, there is no adequately regulated and professionally streamlined cancer trials ecosystem in India. Instead of investing in domestic research and trials, most medical experts and pharma companies have traditionally relied on technology as well as drugs developed by foreign countries. This makes the treatment costlier for the masses.

Lack Of Clinical Trials For Cancer Patients Needs To Be Addressed

To solve this challenge of the lack of accessible, affordable and effective cancer therapies, clinical trials are an essential requirement in India. For the millions of cancer patients across India, clinical trials are of extreme value. They can improve therapeutic processes and pave way for the introduction of new therapies and technologies into cancer care. Through clinical trials, it is possible to make evidence-based enhancements to the existing processes.

The hesitancy towards clinical trials in India stems from the lack of adequate and structured experience in the field and the apprehension of those that go unreported or are abandoned mid-way when the outcome is not as per expectations. However, considering the fact that so many lives can potentially benefit from developing a robust and transparent cancer trial ecosystem in India, there is a need to pay more attention to this area.

Instead of curtailing the trials, stakeholders especially the pharmaceuticals companies and cancer experts need to have open discussions with the authorities. The whole process can be made absolutely transparent and impactful by the integration of digital technology and app platforms. Such an app would be able to provide information on the planned cancer trials, and patients seeking to participate in the trials could be provided with the right information, medical expert opinions and guidance on the subject. In fact, some of the leading startups in the cancer research and treatment arena have built app-based platforms to bring about a convergence of patients, caregivers and opportunities for clinical cancer trials in India.

Going forward, pharma companies need to come up with stronger support for the development of the trial ecosystem and take other stakeholders, especially the government and the patients into confidence. Eliminating misinformation and taking a collaborative approach towards clinical trials in India can be highly fruitful in reducing cancer morbidity and that's a goal worth a shot!

(The article is contributed by Dr. Gunjan Bhardwaj, founder & CEO of Innoplexus)