United by Unique: What Person-Centered Cancer Care Really Looks Like
World Cancer Day 2026
Imagine a woman in rural North Carolina who has just received an abnormal cervical screening result. She may need to delay her follow-up, not because she fears the procedure, but because her car won’t start, her shift runs late, or there’s no one to watch her children.
In another part of the world, a woman in East Africa may travel hours by bus for a screening appointment, only to encounter long queues, limited supplies, or unpredictable clinic hours. She may decide to “try again next month,” knowing the time and cost will be difficult to manage.
These are not isolated stories, but common realities. Despite different geographies, the barriers echo each other. And that shared pattern reveals an important truth: structural barriers, not biology, often determine who receives timely, life-saving cancer care.
This World Cancer Day, with its theme United by Unique, offers a moment to reflect on what truly person-centered, equitable cancer care looks like and what it takes to make that vision real in the United States and around the world.
Centering the Person, Not the System
World Cancer Day calls attention to the individuality of every person facing cancer risk, screening, treatment, or survivorship. Yet across both high- and low-resource settings, health systems often expect people to navigate rigid, complex pathways that fail to reflect daily realities.
Person-centered cancer care reverses that mindset. It asks: What does this person’s life actually look like? What support or flexibility would help them engage in care? Which barriers can, and should, the system remove?
When we begin here, inequities in cervical cancer and other HPV-related cancers become clearer. So do the solutions.
Structural Barriers: Shared Patterns Across Settings
Financial strain and uncertainty
In the U.S., underinsurance, high deductibles, and unclear coverage contribute to delayed screening and follow-up. In many middle-income countries, “hidden costs” such as transportation or lost wages create similar barriers, even when services are nominally “free”.
Geography and transportation
Distance remains one of the most universal obstacles. When systems require multiple visits for screening, diagnostics, and treatment, each step increases the risk of loss to follow-up.
Stigma, misinformation, and fear
Because HPV may be sexually transmitted, stigma continues to influence how people seek care, and persistent misinformation about vaccination and screening can weaken trust and participation.
Fragmented or overburdened systems
Whether due to unreliable patient tracking or inadequate staffing and equipment, breakdowns in continuity are common. When systems fail to follow patients through, many interpret “no news” as good news, even when results were never reviewed or communicated.
Although the contexts differ, the outcome is often the same – missed opportunities for prevention and delayed diagnosis.
Navigation Works: Meeting People Where They Are
Across regions, patient navigation consistently helps people overcome barriers, build trust, and stay engaged in care. While models vary, shared principles emerge.
In many low- and middle-income countries, community health workers form the backbone of screening programs, conducting outreach, providing education, giving reminders, and helping patients reach care. In the U.S., culturally and linguistically aligned navigation through community health workers, patient navigators, interpreters, or bilingual staff improves follow-up and builds trust, particularly in immigrant and historically marginalized communities.
HPV self-sampling is also increasingly used across settings to expand access. It reduces discomfort and stigma, allows screening on a person’s own time, and reaches individuals who might never access facility-based care. When paired with clear communication and streamlined referral pathways, self-sampling becomes a powerful equity tool.
Digital tools, such as text reminders and patient portals, can further support engagement by ensuring results are delivered and next steps are understood, especially when they complement, rather than replace, strong human support.
United by Unique: A Shared Path Forward
On this World Cancer Day, we recognize that while individual circumstances differ, the desire for dignity, respect, and access to quality care is universal.
STO remains committed to advancing equitable cancer care through education, collaboration, and the translation of evidence into practice across the United States and in partnership with colleagues globally.
Because when health systems see the whole person, equity becomes possible. And when we are united by our unique experiences and strengths, we move closer to a future where preventable cancers truly are preventable for all.