Nurses’ Influence in Promotion of Cancer Health Equity in the World Health Organization Western Pacific region

Abstract

Purpose

Nurses are instrumental in reducing cancer health disparities, ensuring that every individual can access cancer care services they need without experiencing financial hardship. This commentary reveals nurses’ influence in promoting cancer health equity using examples from 4 low- and middle-income (LMIC) Western Pacific countries: China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

Methods/sources

Literature searches were performed using search engine and databases available to the authors such as PubMed and Google search engine. The searches were conducted in 2024. Keywords used for literature search were “caner health disparities,” “health equity,” “national cancer control plan,” “cancer prevention,” “early detection of cancer,” “cancer diagnosis,” “cancer treatment,” “cancer survivorship,” “palliative care,” “childhood cancer,” “nurses” roles,” “lower-and-middle-income countries,” “LMICs,” “China,” “Malaysia,” “Philippines,” “Vietnam.” Moreover, the Global Cancer Observatory (GCO) website was accessed to find the updated statistics about the cancer burden in the Western Pacific Region countries.

Findings

Each example identifies major factors that contribute to cancer health disparities, challenges that nurses and other health professionals face, and innovative strategies that are used to overcome these difficulties.

Conclusions & Implications

These examples reflect the urgent need to optimize LMIC nurses’ potential to promote cancer health equity in the Western Pacific region.