Analysis of Social Science Research Into Cancer Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Improving Global Cancer Control Through Greater Interdisciplinary Research

Abstract

This analysis lays a framework for greater collaboration between the cancer community and social scientists in both research and policy. We argue that the growing cancer burden that low- and middle-income countries face is raising social, political, and economic challenges of global cancer that require interdisciplinary research beyond the traditional biomedical-clinical nexus. First, we briefly review some of the most important existing social science studies that have addressed cancer in low- and middle-income countries, including the main methods, approaches, and findings of this research. Second, we give an overview of recent interdisciplinary collaborations between social scientists and oncologists and demonstrate how qualitative research can help us to understand the distinct challenges of cancer care in low- and middle-income settings. Finally, we identify key areas for future collaboration and suggest possible paths forward for cancer research and policy that involve social science.

Cancer care in times of conflict: cross border care in Pakistan of patients from Afghanistan

“…Iraq and Syria face a similar situation with conflict displacing millions of people and destroying the local oncology infrastructure [2,22]. In Syria alone, more than half of all public hospitals have been damaged or destroyed and there are no diagnostic imaging or radiation therapy facilities available, resulting in more than 45% of Syrian patients being unable to complete their treatment in Syria [23,24].…”

“…In Iraq, which once had a robust oncology programme, hospitals face critical pharmaceutical shortages resulting in limited doses of chemotherapy per patient [24]. This has forced people to piece together cancer care across domestic and international boundaries whilst navigating personal illness, financial hardship, threats of violence as well as visa and security/checkpoint restrictions as seen in Afghanistan [22,26].…”

Understanding system barriers and facilitators in transnational clinical cancer research: The value of rapid and multimodal ethnographic inquiry

“…Ethnography is a critical tool for teasing apart the complex meanings and structures of power that inform cancer research and treatment (Petryna, 2009 ; Joseph and Dohan, 2012 ; Livingston, 2012 ; Burke, 2014 ; Bright, 2015 ; Caduff et al, 2018 ; Banerjee, 2020 ). However, traditional fieldwork depends on months or years of immersive observation, interviewing, fieldnoting, and thick description to characterize complex layers of lived experience and historical context.…”

Designing Participatory Needs Assessments to Support Global Health Interventions in Time-Limited Settings: A Case Study From Nigeria

“…Global health is an increasingly multidisciplinary endeavor: many teams now incorporate social scientists and applied medical anthropologists among their ranks in addition to researchers from public health and clinical sciences (Caduff et al, 2018; Hahn & Inhorn, 2009; Hewlett & Hewlett, 2007). The increasing integration of social science perspectives has brought a much-needed critical voice to the global health community, namely that of problematizing the primacy of high-income country (HIC)-driven interests and perspectives in the field (Caduff et al, 2018; Hahn & Inhorn, 2009). Multiple high-profile examples of expensive, unsuccessful global health interventions that did not account for local perspectives, needs, and practices (Closser, 2010; Kenworthy, 2017) underscore the need for anthropological, qualitative engagement with local context (Adams, 2016).…”

“…Approximately 70% of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), signifying a critical need for the global health community to turn its focus toward improving cancer-related outcomes in these settings (World Health Organization [WHO], 2018). Global health is an increasingly multidisciplinary endeavor: many teams now incorporate social scientists and applied medical anthropologists among their ranks in addition to researchers from public health and clinical sciences (Caduff et al, 2018; Hahn & Inhorn, 2009; Hewlett & Hewlett, 2007). The increasing integration of social science perspectives has brought a much-needed critical voice to the global health community, namely that of problematizing the primacy of high-income country (HIC)-driven interests and perspectives in the field (Caduff et al, 2018; Hahn & Inhorn, 2009).…”