National Cancer System Characteristics and Global Pan-Cancer Outcomes.

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Oncology
• Health Systems Research

Background:

• Global cancer burden is projected to rise significantly by 2040, highlighting the urgent need for effective cancer control strategies.
• Understanding health system determinants is crucial for optimizing cancer care planning and resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and evaluate global health system factors that predict improved cancer outcomes.
• To analyze the association between various health system metrics and cancer mortality-to-incidence ratios across diverse countries.

Main Methods:

• An ecological study analyzing national health system metrics and cancer statistics from 185 countries.
• Utilized GLOBOCAN 2022 data for age-standardized cancer mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIR).
• Employed univariable and multivariable linear regressions to assess associations, controlling for multicollinearity.

Main Results:

• All assessed health system metrics, including Universal Health Coverage (UHC) index and GDP per capita, were significantly associated with lower MIR on univariable analysis.
• On multivariable analysis, higher UHC index and GDP per capita were independently associated with improved cancer outcomes (lower MIR).
• These associations remained consistent across sexes, with strong explanatory power (R2=0.85-0.87).

Conclusions:

• Progress towards universal health care and increased economic capacity are independently linked to better population-level cancer outcomes.
• Findings suggest that strengthening UHC and economic development are vital for global cancer control efforts.
• Further research is warranted to validate these findings and inform health system planning for cancer care.