Cancer Moonshot Initiative Explained: The New Quad Grouping Initiative That Could End Cancer
The Cancer Moonshot initiative, originally conceptualized by the Biden administration, has transformed into a new model adopted by the Quad grouping, which is a newly constituted partnership between the United States, India, Australia, and Japan. At the Quad Summit on 21st September 2024, the Quad Leaders affirmed their commitment to harness their collective knowledge, expertise, and resources to address cancer as a serious global threat, with an initial focus on the Indo-Pacific region.
The Quad Cancer Moonshot aims to build on these common services, utilizing available and underutilized tools, to reduce cancer mortality incidence, beginning with a focus on cervical cancer, which is often preventable, yet serious disease in lower resource settings, and has a disproportionate impact on women.
Background of the Quad Cancer Moonshot
The Cancer Moonshot initiative began as an initiative in support of the U.S. administration strategy related to advancing the science of cancer care, and reducing cancer-associated mortality and morbidity. However, the latest incarnation of Cancer Moonshot and the Quad Cancer Moonshot in particular is a further extension of this mission from a global context.
This partnership builds on lessons learned from addressing COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy, with the aims of engaging the best scientific evidence and knowledge, raising resources and financial support from all sectors, and developing partnerships at which we are all able to join a common purpose in addressing the burden of cervical cancer across the globe.
Focus on Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer has been selected as the first of two target cancers in the Quad Cancer-Moonshot expansion for the reason of the malignancy’s serious mortality in the Indo-Pacific setting. Women in the Indo-Pacific region are dying from cervical cancer at rates to a much greater extent than any malignancy in higher resource settings. The disease is preventable, mainly because we have an effective vaccine and as well, the HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccine in one priority. There are countries, including Australia, on their way to eliminating cervical cancer by 2035.
Australia’s Elimination Partnership in the Indo-Pacific for Cervical Cancer has already expanded its scope in direct partnership with the Quad Cancer Moonshot, including committing $16.5 million in Australian subsidy dollars to add to worldwide countries delivery programs for HPV vaccination in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Timor-Leste, and with additional philanthropic contributions from Minderoo Foundation from Australia and collective Quad partnerships.
Key Aims and Contributions From the Quad Nations
The Quad nations bring individual strengths to the overall initiative. The United States is contributing knowledge in a couple of formal ways through its Global Health Security programs, primarily working to integrate cancer screening and treatment into existing health systems, emphasizing low- and middle-income countries. The United States sees a role here and is providing supporting work to that end through its Global Health Security programs in conjunction with widespread activity through Australia on much of the HPV vaccination and screening volumes.
India will be a key contributor to technology and resources. India has pledged $7.5 million for HPV detection tools and vaccination in the Indo-Pacific region while focusing on cervical cancer screening and prevention. In addition, India has a National Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) portal which will serve as a digital health tool to track cancer cases and will assist regional health systems in providing technical assistance to other Indo-Pacific countries.
Japan will be contributing advanced medical devices used to diagnose and treat cancer such as CT and MRI scanners to help strengthen the response to cancer in practice as well as collectively in the Indo-Pacific region. Additionally, Japan has pledged $27 million to combat cancer, focusing on health system strengthening.
Vision for the Future
The Quad Cancer Moonshot is beginning with an acute focus on cervical cancer, but the initiative has bigger plans. The goal is to harness collaboration and mobilize resources in order to be able to take on and address different kinds of cancer in the future. This initiative is an example of how international collaboration can tackle health disparities and save lives; moreover, this example reinforces that to tackle a global health crisis, a global and united response must be engaged.
As this initiative grows and develops, it will shape a path for future health collaborative networks, and it is possible cancer could be a preventable and treatable disease in the world. With all four partners contributing to the Quad Cancer Moonshot, there is an intention of transforming and elevating health care in the Indo-Pacific, and ultimately eliminate cancer in the Indo-Pacific completely.
Source: U.S. Embassy & Consulates in India, The White House
