Improving Patient Care

Abstract

In this introduction, I summarize the different contributions presented by alumni and faculty about patient care during the alumni meeting on the tenth anniversary of the inauguration of the Advanced Oncology study programme of the University of Ulm. The chapters represent the diversity of the different authors, being from low-income, middle-income (LMICs) as well as high-income countries (HICs), considering specific aspects of the entire spectrum of cancer care. What unifies them is their drive to improve patient care in their areas of expertise, with the means they have at hand and the skillset they acquired during their professional and educational journeys, frequently taking them from different parts of the globe to other ones. The task at hand, to reduce cancer-related morbidity and mortality, remains, as do the cornerstones of cancer control like primary prevention, screening and early treatment. Therefore, the interruptive force of the COVID-19 pandemic should be acknowledged, and measures must be implemented to prevent further delays in care for patients with cancers.