Cancer Care in Countries and Societies in Transition

This is a rare compilation of clinically focused chapters on the practice of oncology in more than 25 countries and areas around the world that experience ongoing or intensifying ethnic, religious, and nationalistic conflict. Each chapter is written by an internationally respected local physician and follows a common format to ensure consistent coverage within and across chapters. Topics include the relationship between local culture and the local practice of mainstream modern medicine, critical clinical issues faced by local physicians, and options for when and how to incorporate palliative care. In many of these countries, a lack of resources has forced the medical communities to create innovative approaches to common oncological problems; these solutions are highlighted and can provide Western medical practitioners with unique insights into living with cancer and options for care. Each chapter also describes local government's and private institutions' involvement in clinical care, and assesses the degrees of acceptance and stigma towards cancer patients in the author's country; a summary and brief recommendations follow. The book ends with two special chapters, one describing the United States' current initiatives on promoting cancer care training in these regions, and another on clinical concepts for Western clinicians undertaking oncology practice in emerging countries. The book is aimed at oncologists around the world: those practicing medicine in similarly extreme circumstances; Western oncologists organizing or preparing for medical missions; and Western oncologists who wish to learn from the experiences of oncologists who practice under radically different conditions.