Cancer in Israel

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Israel.

Information on the incidence of cancer in Israel is collected, analyzed and stored by the Israel National Cancer Registry (INCR) which since 2005 has been the auspices of the Israel Center for Disease control (ICDC)[1].

To honor World Cancer Day, the Israel Cancer Association and the Ministry of Health revealed the latest statistics on cancer in Israel based on The National Cancer Registry statistics [2]:

  • 31,000 new cancer patients were diagnosed in 2018
  • About 27,000 of them with invasive cancer.
  • About 11,000 people died of invasive cancer in 2018.
  • The most prevalent death cause amongst men was lung cancer and breast cancer in women.
  • The risk of cancer mortality was higher in men compared to women.

By global comparison (Global Cancer Observatory) cancer incidence rates in Israel is higher than the global average, but Israel ranks relatively low (number 45) amongst the 50 countries with the highest cancer rates in the world, but in terms of cancer mortality rates, Israel is ranked 89 amongst the countries with highest rates in the world.

According to ICDC this indicates a relatively high application of early detection for the most prevalent cancer types as well as an effective, updated treatment made accessible to all citizens through the national healthcare funds.[3]

 

Cancer care in Israel

Since the National Health Insurance Law came into force in 1995, each citizen is entitled to basic health services. The medical services to which all citizens are eligible are named “The National Healthcare Basket” (NHB). New drugs and technologies are being added to the Basket every year, and usually a large portion of the budget goes to cancer treatments.

Although some of the submitted drugs and technologies are not included in the NHB, some patients can obtain them via other means such as private medical insurance (35% of Israel citizens)[4].

 

Israel generally presents high standards of public health care including cancer care. Still, there is potential for better and more efficient management in all aspects and phases of the patient journey, for instance, in diagnosis, integrated care and rehabilitation.  There is still a lot to be done to strengthen the systems surrounding cancer patients and families– especially in survivorship and quality of life cancer patients have.

 

All.Can Israel Initiative

  • Can Israel aims to connect diverse stakeholders to identify ways to optimize the efficiency of cancer care by focusing on what matters to patients and their families.
  • Can Israel strives to provide evidence-based policy solutions to improve cancer care.
  • Can Israel was established in January 2021.

 

All.Can Israel plans for 2021

  • Establishing All.Can Israel as a legal NPO in Israel
  • Strengthening All.Can Israel through new collaborations and membership
  • Getting better understanding of cancer care and management along the patient journey and collect insights from patients’ perspective to define areas where cancer care should be improved:
    • Create a patient survey in collaboration with patient’s associations, Medical centers, cancer communities
    • Publish the ’Patient Survey Findings’ as a study that identifies needs in Israel Cancer Care system.
  • Initiate a project that aims to improve gaps and unmet needs in the Patient’s Journey such as: improving the diagnosis process, providing access to services that improve the quality of life of patients or securing funding for cancer care
  • Promoting a National Cancer Plan in Israel.

* projects will be decided by the members, and will be aligned with the Patient survey findings

References

  1. Ministry of Health website Available here: http://moh.gov.il
  2. The Israel Cancer Association - News - The ICA Launches 2021 World Cancer Day Available here: https://en.cancer.org.il/
  3. ibid Available here: https://en.cancer.org.il/
  4. The Israeli central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) Available here: https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/mediarelease/DocLib/2019/035/19_19_035b.pdf

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