Although considerable resources are being allocated globally to cancer research, efforts to implement these findings efficiently are lagging behind. Enough is known about the cause of common tumors such as lung, oral, and liver cancer to allow active measures to be taken for their prevention. Effective early detection programs have been developed for cervical, breast, and oral cancer, and treatment methods exist whereby at least one-third of all cancer patients can be cured if their disease is detected early. Unfortunately, however, most cancer activities currently in place were developed haphazardly and lack overall coordination. National cancer control efforts can be more effectively planned and implemented if they follow a systematic stepwise approach of assessing the current situation, setting health objectives, evaluating the possible strategies, and setting priorities using quantitative assessments. Cancer affects both developed and developing countries of the world, and well planned national efforts emphasizing prevention and early detection can significantly reduce the cancer problem.
