Developing Countries Oncology Survey

The ESMO Developing Countries Oncology Survey is designed to evaluate the status of oncology developing countries with special regards to:

• Recognition of oncology and medical oncology
• Education and training
• Certification and continued medical education
• Specialization and sub-specializations of oncology on a local level
• National guidelines on cancer
  

Goal

• Identifying and understanding the strengths, weaknesses, inequalities, and areas of necessary improvement in the field and practice of oncology, regarding professional training, healthcare facilities, and national programs in developing countries
• Gaining a better understanding of the role ESMO can take in helping countries face the challenge of reducing disparities in the quality of care available to patients
• Establishing further evidence of the need to recognize medical oncology as an independent specialty worldwide 

Source

• The Developing Countries Task Force prepared the questionnaire
• ESMO members from developing countries completed surveys which were later analyzed by professional, external statisticians

Publication and distribution

• Possible future publication in Annals of Oncology

• Freely available from the ESMO Web site

• ESMO Developing Countries Task Force Report at the 31st ESMO Congress, Istanbul, Turkey, 2006, Tuesday, 3 October 2006