ASO Special Article: Proceedings of the Inaugural Joint US-India Cancer Dialogue: Accelerating Collaboration to...

Cancer is a leading cause of death in both the USA and India. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's State Visit to Washington, DC in June 2023, the two governments announced several cooperation commitments. One such commitment was the establishment of the US-India Cancer Dialogue, initiating a structured bilateral effort to address shared cancer challenges. The aim of this article is to outline the preparatory steps and proceedings of the inaugural joint meeting of the US-India Cancer dialogue that took place in New Delhi in August 2024.

This manuscript reports the outcomes of a structured bilateral consensus development process designed to identify priority areas for collaboration between the USA and India. Following the announcement, a high-level virtual consultation convened government, scientific, and clinical leaders to identify shared priority areas. A US-based meeting hosted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) refined technical workstreams, including prevention, early detection, therapeutics, clinical trials, and implementation science. Continued coordination among the US National Cancer Institute, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and India's Department of Biotechnology formalized the bilateral agenda RESULTS: Over 2 days, the in-person Dialogue identified priority areas for bilateral collaboration, including expansion of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and cervical cancer screening, advancement of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled early detection technologies, improved access to immunotherapies and chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapies, strengthened genomics and data-sharing infrastructure, expanded clinical trial capacity, and enhanced survivorship and palliative care.

This collaboration establishes a durable framework to accelerate innovation, expand equitable access, and reduce preventable cancer deaths across both nations.