Promoting cancer early diagnosis
Early diagnosis of cancer focuses on detecting symptomatic patients as early as possible so they have the best chance for successful treatment. When cancer care is delayed or inaccessible there is a lower chance of survival, greater problems associated
with treatment and higher costs of care. Early diagnosis improves cancer outcomes by providing care at the earliest possible stage and is therefore an important public health strategy in all settings.
Screening is a different strategy
than early diagnosis. It is defined as the presumptive identification of unrecognized disease in an apparently healthy, asymptomatic population by means of tests, examinations or other procedures that can be applied rapidly and easily to the target
population. A screening programme must include all the core components in the screening process from inviting the target population to accessing effective treatment for individuals diagnosed with disease.
Compared to early diagnosis,
cancer screening is a distinct and more complex public health strategy that mandates additional resources, infrastructure and coordination. WHO recommends that screening programmes only be undertaken when their effectiveness has been demonstrated,
when resources are sufficient to cover the target group, when facilities exist to confirm diagnoses and ensure treatment, and when the prevalence of the disease is high enough to justify screening.
