International Research

Our lifesaving research knows no borders

Like many American women, Jill, a mother of two, knows the importance of regular screening for breast cancer. During her annual mammogram, her doctor discovered a lump in her left breast. If her tumor is found to be cancerous and she requires treatment, she'll have an 85 percent likelihood of surviving her disease — even greater if the cancer is detected early, as the majority of breast cancer cases are in the United States.

In another part of the world, Alena has a very different situation. She has never had a mammogram. If she discovers a breast lump herself, her cultural perceptions of cancer and limited access to medical care may keep her from seeing a doctor until the cancer is advanced and hard to treat. It's likely the treatment she would receive won't be the most effective for her condition.

The stark contrast between Jill's and Alena's experiences with cancer illustrates one of multiple reasons why the likelihood of surviving cancer or other serious diseases differs vastly in different parts of the world. But inequities in access to affordable, effective therapies or regular disease screening aren't the only factors that affect differences in survival and quality of life — even the risk of developing certain cancers or infectious diseases varies widely across the globe.

Solving the world's urgent public-health problems

Our commitment to improving the quality of life for those with cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases knows no borders. That's why our researchers work internationally to speed the development and delivery of preventive measures for the world's most urgent public-health problems — many of which take the hardest toll in countries with limited resources:

• More than two thirds of the some 33 million people worldwide infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS.
• In developing countries with few resources for cancer detection, four out of five cancer patients are diagnosed when their disease is at a late, incurable stage.
• Up to 25 percent of cancer cases in the developing world are caused by potentially preventable infections from viruses and bacteria, compared to 8 percent in developed countries.

Partnerships for prevention

Many of the world's most devastating diseases — HIV/AIDS as well as stomach, liver, cervical, and other cancers — could be prevented if vaccines or simple, affordable screening tests were available. Without them, millions of people continue to die each year. Through our international research, we are forging new international partnerships through which advances in medicine can be made where they are needed most. Major research areas include:

• Partnering with Uganda against a global killer
  Through a collaboration with the Uganda Cancer Institute, we are working to improve prevention, detection and treatment of infection-related cancers in the African nation, which has one of the highest cancer rates in the world. The Uganda Program on Cancer and Infectious Diseases aims to tackle three major goals: to better understand the link between infectious disease and cancer; to improve access and delivery of clinical care to patients with infection-related cancers in the U.S. and Uganda; and to train the next generation of American and Ugandan physicians and scientists to combat infection-associated cancers at home and abroad.
  
  This work is important because infectious diseases contribute to about 20 to 25 percent of the world's cancers, yet the majority of these cancer cases could be cured with proper medical care. That means infection-related cancers represent one of the most immediate opportunities for the prevention and treatment of cancer, not just in Uganda but also in many other countries around the globe.
  
  Learn more about the Uganda Program on Cancer and Infectious Diseases. »
  
  
• Confronting breast cancer's worldwide challenge
  Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer related death for women worldwide, and the picture is grimmer in economically disadvantaged countries. We work to improve breast health outcomes for medically underserved women through the Breast Health Global Initiative, a strategic mix of internationally-focused health care organizations co-sponsored by the Hutchinson Center and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. BHGI's mission is to develop, implement and study evidence-based, economically feasible, and culturally appropriate breast-health guidelines for limited-resource regions. These guidelines are freely available through the Internet, and publicized through world health and medical organizations, international government agencies, Ministers of Health, and patient advocate groups.
  
  Learn more about the Breast Health Global Initiative. »
  
  
• Discovering the best ways to detect cancer early, when it's curable
  For a number of common cancers in the United States, when the disease is caught early, nine out of 10 cancer patients can be saved. Tragically, many patients in limited-resource countries, where these cancers are on the rise, suffer from poor survival rates and endure difficult treatments because of late diagnoses. We're leading an international collaboration with researchers in Asia and Europe dedicated to the discovery of affordable, lifesaving methods for early cancer detection — such as simple blood tests that spot the earliest traces of disease.
  
  Learn more about the International Cancer Biomarker Consortium. »
  
  
• Developing vaccines against the world's most devastating diseases
  Our commitment to diseases that, like cancer, compromise the body's immune system has led us to establish one of the world's premier research programs in HIV/AIDS. Our scientists lead the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, the world's largest program to test candidate vaccines to prevent HIV infection. Building on this leadership, we're collaborating with the University of Washington on a comprehensive vaccine and immunization center that will develop vaccines to prevent AIDS and other diseases that affect vast segments of the world.
  
  Learn more about the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. »
  
  
• Developing prevention strategies against global infectious diseases
  Through the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute, our researchers work in the United States and around the world to develop and implement prevention strategies for globally important infectious diseases, including HIV, malaria and cancer-associated infections such as human herpesvirus-8, among others. We aim to develop novel vaccines for infectious diseases that threaten global health, to shed light on the workings of the human immune system, and to develop new treatment and prevention strategies to lessen the burden of infectious diseases and cancers caused by infection.
  
  Learn more about the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute. »
  
  

How you can help

Our lifesaving international research depends on generous private contributions. Learn more online about supporting our international research, or call (206) 667-4399 or (800) 279-1618.