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The INCTR Challenge Fund is the UK charity raising funds for projects co-ordinated by the International Network for Cancer Treatment Research that improve the care delivered to cancer patients in developing countries and help reduce their suffering.
Cancer is not a disease that only affects wealthy countries. The World Health Organization reports that of the 7.9 million death from cancer every year, 72% occur in low- and middle-income countries. This means that almost 11 people a minute are dying of cancer in some of the poorest nations on Earth. WHO reports that cancer is now killing more people in the developing countries than malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS combined, and this situation is growing steadily worse.
There are several reasons for this high death toll from cancer in developing countries. Due to poverty, lack of resources and vast distances, public access to treatment maybe difficult or non-existent. There is also not enough awareness about cancer to help either prevent the disease developing or to support early diagnosis. As a result, 80% of cancer patients present with advanced/incurable cancers. Unfortunately, in many cases, palliative care will not be available to them at the end of their lives.
The fund's goals are: