Cancer care for the developing world

In this op-ed piece for www.project-syndicate.org, Lawrence N. Shulman, Chief of Staff and Director of the Center for Global Cancer Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the importance of the international community making a commitment to bring life-saving cancer treatment to patients everywhere.

(from left) Jeff Gordon, Lawrence Shulman, MD, Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, and others at the entrance to Butaro Hospital in Rwanda

"The Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence and others like it have proved that it is possible to treat cancer patients safely and effectively, even in poor, rural settings.

Thanks to the Rwandan Ministry of Health, Partners In Health, and the Boston-based Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Butaro Center has treated more than 3,000 cancer patients, most of whom are referred from outside the region, since its dedication in July 2012 by former President Bill Clinton and Binagwaho.

Support from the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, LIVESTRONG, and private donors has also been critical to this achievement."

Read Dr. Shulman's full article