Background
In 2010, Morocco implemented a national policy for cancer prevention and control, establishing a roadmap to integrate cancer care into the national health system. Ten-yearly cancer control plans were developed (2010–2019 and 2020–2029), with cancer research consistently among the Moroccan government’s top priorities. A Cancer Research Institute was established, and a partnership with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) was developed, leading to Morocco becoming an IARC Participating State in 2015.
Objective
To report how cancer research as a driver of innovation has informed strategic actions for cancer prevention and control in low- and middle-income countries.
Materials and Methods
The partnership between IARC and the Lalla Salma Foundation for Cancer Prevention and Treatment (FLSC) covered key areas of cancer prevention and control, both in Morocco and in French-speaking African countries. It was formalized through agreements between the two institutions supporting activities in capacity building and operational research addressing early cancer detection, management of precancerous cervical lesions, and studying the care pathways for patients with cancer.
Results
A dozen projects were implemented through the FLSC–IARC partnership in various areas of cancer research, namely:
i) In the field of capacity building:
Several training sessions on early detection of breast and cervical cancers, including six colposcopy training sessions for more than 90 general practitioners;
Training in the development of cancer registries across low- and middle-income countries;
Organization of an international French-language course on cancer prevention and epidemiology;
Improving breast cancer diagnosis performance among clinicians in four French-speaking African countries: Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Senegalii) Implementation research to assess feasibility, implementation barriers, acceptability and sustainability of the “screen with VIA and treat with thermal ablation” approach in cervical cancer screening in four African countries: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, and Senegal.
 
 
iii) Implementation and evaluation of pilot colorectal cancer screening in Morocco.
iv) Patterns of care studies to assess the quality of care, survival outcomes and quality of life for breast and cervical cancer patients in Morocco.
Conclusions
All projects developed through the FLSC–IARC partnership have been successfully implemented and resulted in publications in high-level scientific journals. The outcomes have been highly relevant to guide cancer control policies, both in Morocco and in the countries that benefited from these projects.
¹ Lalla Salma Foundation for Cancer Prevention and Treatment, Rabat-Maroc
² Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Rabat-Maroc
3Early Detection, Prevention & Infections Branch, IARC