The working group Global Oncology at the University Hospital of Bonn, led by Dr. med. Oliver Henke, focuses on the issues of cancer treatment, cancer prevention, and palliative care in low-and middle-income countries, with an emphasis on the African continent.,  

The countries in the Global South are affected by significantly higher mortality from cancer compared to the North. This has multiple reasons such as insufficient access to therapy, a lack of primary and secondary prevention, as well as the trust in traditional healers and spiritual healing. Usually, this leads to cancer being diagnosed in an advanced stage of the disease, which complicates therapy and oftentimes, makes curative therapy impossible. Moreover, patients diagnosed with cancer are generally younger than in countries with higher income. Being still young and part of the working population, this negatively effects the economy. Lack of or gaps in health insurance often bring families to the brink when a family member develops cancer, which can result in poverty for the entire family.

The working group Global Oncology focuses on the Public Health aspects of cancer in these countries. Innovative projects for early diagnostics as well as projects for financing palliative care, scientific education of medical staff and easy access to cancer therapy are the group’s main focuses.