Improving Oncology-Pathology Collaboration in Resource-Limited Settings: An American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists Initiative

Abstract

Accurate pathologic evaluation is essential for proper diagnosis and treatment of patients with cancer. ASCO and the College of American Pathologists have successfully collaborated over the last 15 years to improve collaboration between clinical oncologists and pathologists and to standardize pathologic assay techniques. Cancer is an increasingly recognized societal burden in low- and middle-income countries. In 2015, ASCO and the College of American Pathologists implemented an initiative to identify countries that could benefit from peer insights by jointly convening an international workshop among members of both organizations and pathologists and clinical oncologists from Haiti, Honduras, Vietnam, and Uganda. Honduras was chosen as a pilot site, and representatives of ASCO, the College of American Pathologists, and the Honduras pathology and clinical oncology communities have identified areas in which collaboration might be productive. Multiple barriers, including high poverty levels, poor cancer awareness educational programs, lack of human resources, and delayed diagnosis and treatment, have resulted in a higher cancer mortality rate in Honduras compared with high/moderate-income countries and are shared by other low-income countries. ASCO and the College of American Pathologists member faculty supported a symposium led by Honduras colleagues for interested Honduran pathologists and oncologists. The Honduran communities are now working to establish national resource-appropriate guidelines for both pathology and clinical oncology. Taken together, these efforts indicate that barriers to meet the needs of the clinical oncologists in a low-income country such as Honduras are challenging but not insurmountable.