Cancer control in the Asia Pacific region--the next lap

Cancer control in any part of the world has to be a multi-directional effort addressed in a holistic manner. The general impression that cancer control means only collation of epidemiological data and efforts at primary prevention needs to be redefined because preventive and educative oncology, though an important component of cancer control, can achieve long-term goals only after 20 years or more. Along with such long-term objectives, methodology needs to be developed which takes care of immediate and recent needs in early diagnosis, effective treatment, and appropriate basic research for the ultimate control and cure of cancer. A holistic approach to the cancer control effort will, therefore, need the combined skills of many different specialists.