World Cancer Day is an international awareness day established in 2000 by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), to raise worldwide attention and inspire action for a cancer-free future.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, claiming 10 million lives, 70% of which were residents of low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), where access to early diagnosis and treatment are limited. Without significant interventions, this disparity is anticipated to grow with time. The incidence of cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa alone is projected to increase by more than 92% in 2040 (American Cancer Society). This past year, Direct Relief donated over $168.6 million in oncology products globally, both within the US and LMICs through signature oncology programs, disaster response, US Safety Net Support, and general healthcare provider support.

Highlights of Direct Relief’s Work in the Cancer Space

Direct Relief partners with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as global cancer institutions, to source and distribute lifesaving treatments for people who otherwise would not have access. For more than a decade, Direct Relief has supported people living with cancer in over 50 countries, providing more than 1.5 billion defined daily doses of cancer treatments and associated therapeutic agents.

• Limited availability of resources for cancer care including cancer prevention screenings and treatment, particularly in LMICs, contributes to additional deaths each year. To address this, Direct Relief has partnered with pharmaceutical company, Amgen, and the City Cancer Challenge (C/Can), a partnership that supports cities around the world to improve access to quality, equitable cancer care, to advance access to cancer treatments in LMICs across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

• Through its partnerships with Amgen and C/Can, Direct Relief is working to improve health outcomes for breast cancer patients in Paraguay’s capital city of Asunción. In addition to delivering critical cancer diagnostics and treatments, the collaboration is engaging local stakeholders to strengthen health infrastructure, the healthcare workforce, surveillance capacity, and supportive care at Paraguay’s leading cancer treatment institutions.

• A longtime partner of UICC, Direct Relief is also a Country Support Committee member of UICC’s Access to Oncology Medicines (ATOM) Coalition, which aims to address the barriers to affordability, availability, and appropriate use of oncology medicines in LMICs. This past year Direct Relief participated in a 3-day workshop hosted by ATOM in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, speaking to the importance of supply chain management.

• Direct Relief also partners with Global Hematology Oncology Pediatric Excellence, or Global HOPE, an initiative of Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, and Teva Pharmaceuticals to expand access to lifesaving cancer therapies and improve the prognosis of children with cancer and blood disorders in sub-Saharan Africa. Since 2020, Direct Relief has provided more than 570,000 defined daily doses of critical cancer treatments in support of the initiative, reaching children with cancer in Botswana, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda. Looking ahead to 2025, the partnership is looking to expand support to new sites in Tanzania and Kenya.

• In 2024, Direct Relief finalized an agreement with pharmaceutical company, Servier Pharmaceuticals, and the Children’s International Consortium on Acute Leukemia (C-ICAL) initiative to provide ongoing donations of an essential medication to treat Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). C-ICAL is a partnership between the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the SickKids Caribbean Initiative that seeks to improve the care of pediatric patients with ALL in the Caribbean. This past year Direct Relief provided support to the Bahamas, Barbados, and Jamaica, and looks to expand support in the region.

• Since 2016, Direct Relief has partnered with the AbbVie Foundation and Casa de la Amistad para Niños con Cáncer (CDLA), a humanitarian organization in Mexico City, to support under-resourced families of children with cancer. CDLA provides counseling, education, nutritional support, shelter, and transportation to help families overcome barriers to accessing and adhering to treatment. Together, Direct Relief, the AbbVie Foundation, and CDLA assist over 300 pediatric patients from rural communities by providing stipends for food, lodging, and transportation, reducing the financial burden of traveling to and receiving cancer care.

The organization remains committed to connecting patients with oncology treatments needed to maintain their health and wellbeing, wherever they are.