ONCOLOGY, named after the Greek word for tumour, is the strongest line of defence against cancer. By investing time, money and resources into cancer research, oncologists can develop new and innovative ways to prevent, detect, diagnose and treat this disease.
But, what is really helping to supercharge cancer research is the ability to collaborate on a global scale in the form of oncology tourism.
How medical tourism fuels cancer research
Travelling overseas for plastic surgery, dental care, or seeking a second opinion is fairly common these days. Thanks to affordable flights and technology, patients looking to spend more money on overall health and wellbeing can seek treatment in another city, state or country.
North America leads the way in global medical tourism with the highest market share of 26`% in 2023, but Asia-Pacific is estimated to expand far quicker than any other region by 2034. Perhaps due to its more affordable treatment options.
But what’s really interesting in relation to cancer care is that oncology treatments have experienced the fastest-growing market in medical tourism. With a compound annual growth rate of 21.9% over the past decade, patients have the opportunity to seek out cancer care overseas.
And the more patients a cancer doctor treats, the more data and medical research can be carried out. After all, knowledge is power, and the more experience oncologists have with early detection, diagnosis and cancer care, the more advanced healthcare becomes globally.
Benefits of medical tourism in relation to oncology
Cancer research is no easy field, as by nature, cancer is complex and can be challenging to identify and treat. Some cases are obscure and may require a different approach to detect, diagnose and treat.
Let’s be honest: our bodies are all unique, and we respond differently even to diet, let alone drugs. This means medical research needs to be varied, in-depth and carried out through observations and analysis of hundreds of thousands of cases, rather than a handful.
But, having access to a wide range of cases to study can be limited if patients are all from a shared gene pool, have similar backgrounds and lifestyles and live under the same environmental conditions.
Medical tourism for oncology enables medical experts in cancer research to collect data from patients from all walks of life. By researching the effect of treatment not just on Americans, for example, but also on European, East Asian and Sub-Saharan African patients, oncologists can gain a far better understanding of how certain patients respond to treatments.
Oncologists can also study any similar characteristics that are exhibited in patients from similar ethnicities and locations.
Advancing oncology & cancer research worldwide
Oncology tourism is not just about gaining access to state-of-the-art medical facilities and treatment plans abroad but about advancing cancer research and evolving treatments to ultimately eradicate this disease.
By empowering patients, their loved ones and healthcare professionals, medical tourism helps to bridge gaps in cancer care, bringing innovative treatments and resources to patients who may not have access to them locally.
This collaborative approach not only provides hope to those affected but also fosters a global network of shared knowledge and best practices.
Dr Jun Wen is an Associate Professor in tourism and health sciences at the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), Macau, China (effective 13 January 2025). His current research interests lie in global health, tourism marketing, and travel medicine.
Dr Ian Phau is John Curtin Distinguished Professor at Curtin University, Australia. His research interests include luxury branding and hospitality, country image and tourism.
