By Clinical Informatics News 

March 25, 2015 | Global Oncology (GO) this morning announced the launch of the Global Cancer Project Map, a first-of-its-kind online resource and virtual information exchange for connecting the global cancer community. Developed by GO in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Center for Global Health, the map enables worldwide access to cancer projects and expertise to improve cancer practices and patient outcomes, especially in low-resource settings.

The Map was unveiled at the Symposium on Global Cancer Research, which is sponsored by NCI, the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH), and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The interactive map lets users query an online database for cancer experts and research projects by country and by cancer type, and then to initiate contact with project principal investigators and program directors. The Map launched with more than 700 projects spanning six continents. The goal is for the Map to grow exponentially as awareness builds and an online tool is added in late 2015 allowing users to upload projects directly.

GO developed the Global Cancer Project Map to fill a crucial need for shared resources: According to the World Bank, only five percent of global health funding for cancer is committed to oncology in developing countries. This number stands even though Africa, Asia, and Central and South America account for 60% of the world’s new cancer diagnoses and 70% of the world’s cancer deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

“The Map is an important and innovative step forward in our effort to reduce health disparities and strengthen human capital in underserved areas of the world,” said Michele Barry, MD, FACP, and Director of Stanford University’s Center for Innovation in Global Health in a statement announcing the project. “With cancer rates rapidly increasing in low-resource settings, the Map creates a place where the global cancer community can share and access information that is critical to providing better treatment and care.”

The Global Cancer Project Map covers a wide range of projects, from cancer prevention and screening to capacity training, clinical programs and palliative care.

According to Dr. Ted Trimble, director of NCI’s Center for Global Health, though many dedicated researchers and caregivers are conducting groundbreaking cancer programs around the world, until today they could not reference the collective knowledge and experiences of their colleagues in one central place. The Global Cancer Project Map has been highly anticipated in the cancer community and will make a significant impact in cancer patient care and global health.

“Before it was difficult or often impossible to find information about cancer projects or experts, especially in resource-limited settings,” said GO co-founder Ami S. Bhatt, MD, PhD, and Assistant Professor, Stanford University. “The Map now makes it possible to connect colleagues in the global cancer community with a maximum of six clicks of a computer mouse.”

“We have the ambitious goal of providing access to every cancer research, care, and outreach program in the world through the Map,” said GO co-founder Franklin W. Huang, MD, PhD, and Instructor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. “GO encourages anyone working in cancer to use the Map to get and give valuable information about their projects, contributing to cancer care for patients no matter where they are.”