Preparing health systems in Southeast and East Asia for new paradigms of care/personalized medicine in cancers: are health systems ready for evolving cancer management?

Roughly 9.7 million people are living with cancer in East and Southeast Asia. Once viewed as a virtual death sentence, cancer is increasingly treatable with the advent of personalized medicine, and even preventable in some cases through genetic screening and certain lifestyle changes. With the increasing prevalence and application of personalized medicine and diagnosis, more and more cancers will become 'rare'. Thus, it is thus important to promote societal awareness and discussion around how best to manage care of rare cancers today. Are health systems in Asia prepared for this paradigm shift in oncology care? Is there a functioning ecosystem, which encompasses information, patient support, genetic screening of families and surveillance for other cancers? What needs to be done today to prepare for tomorrow's reality? This article examines Asian health systems state of readiness and how they can prepare for the anticipated demand for access to personalized medicine in cancer care and suggests opportunities for expanded efforts to address resource gaps and leverage individual country expertise at a regional level.