Citation, extracts and a comment from me below.
CITATION: The Lancet Commission on prostate cancer: planning for the surge in cases
James ND et al. The Lancet
Published: April 04, 2024DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00651-2
'Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in 112 countries, and accounts for 15% of cancers. In this Commission, we report projections of prostate cancer cases in 2040 on the basis of data for demographic changes worldwide and rising life expectancy. Our findings suggest that the number of new cases annually will rise from 1·4 million in 2020 to 2·9 million by 2040.'
'Access to reliable, balanced, and up-to-date health information both at the personal and systems levels is key to effecting improvements in care and to support patients and their families in clinical decision making...
'Public awareness and information will be increasingly important for risk-adapted early detection of prostate cancer, and there is growing interest among health-care providers, cancer charities, research funders, and public health bodies in disseminating effective and culturally sensitive information via apps...
'In LMICs, outreach services offering information, prostate surface antigen testing, and onwards referral for suspected cancer diagnosis and treatment should be established.'
'Artificial intelligence systems could supplement deficits in health profession numbers and skills, especially—but not only—in LMICs...
'With careful implementation, artificial intelligence could contribute to improvements in quality of care, particularly in LMICs, in particular in the near future.'
COMMENT (NPW): It is encouraging that more and more authors are emphasising the fundamental importance of improving the availability and use of relevant, reliable healthcare information, across all areas of health. This will progressively promote the high-level political and financial commitment that is needed to accelerate progress towards universal access to reliable healthcare information.
I share the authors' enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (with caveats) but I would go further. Artificial intelligence has the potential for transformative change not only to meet the information needs of health workers, but also the information needs of the general public (which are equally if not even more important in preventing mortality and morbidity from the upcoming surge in prostate cancer). With regard to caveats and AI, these are many and well-documented: economic and social impacts; misuse; privacy concerns; security vulnerabilities, error, existential risk...); but I would add that if there is one insight from all our discussions on HIFA, it is this:
Universal access to reliable healthcare information cannot be achieved by a single intervention or a technical fix. It can only be achieved if we also understand and strengthen the global evidence ecosystem as a whole. The global survey that many of you recently completed reinforces this approach. The central message of the survey's 2,400 respondents is that WHO, HIFA and partners should convene stakeholders to develop a global strategy. A whole-system approach - in parallel with 'technical fixes' - will provide the surest way forward to build a world where every person has access to the reliable healthcare information they need to protect their own health and the health of others.
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
