What We Do

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Global Patient Support

We provide training and technical assistance resources, mentorship, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities to health facilities and cancer organizations primarily in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through our capacity development programs in patient navigation, patient and caregiver education, and organizational strengthening.

A health worker sits at a desk with two people, reviewing a tabletop chart about cancer stages

Patient Navigation

The American Cancer Society is a leader in efforts to bring patient navigation services to people with cancer, both domestically and globally. Patient navigators assist patients and their caregivers to access the resources they need to break down barriers to equitable cancer care in all settings. Globally, patient navigation is a key initiative to bridge the multiple gaps in fragmented health systems.

Globally, we are addressing this with a multi-pronged approach: 

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ACS BEACON Initiative

Occupational safety protects staff, patients, and the environment and creates a culture of safety. The ChemoSAFE toolkit provides self-service dynamic training aids to integrate safe chemotherapy handling practices by raising awareness, providing education, changing administrative operations, and advocating for infrastructure needs.
A large group gathered indoors poses in front of a screen displaying “IKAT” and additional text.
ACS SPARK Initiative

SPARK (Supporting Patient Navigation Adoption, Replication, and Knowledge Exchange) is our follow up initiative to further and comprehensively develop patient navigation capacity with partners in Indonesia, Kenya, and Nigeria. We aim for this to be a model for other countries building their cancer care infrastructure.

People sit around a long conference table during a hybrid meeting with participants visible on a screen.
Global Alliance for Cancer Patient Navigation

To further efforts in building evidence-based sustainable patient navigation programs in diverse non-US settings, the Alliance convenes stakeholders to frame, assess, and address challenges in global patient navigation that no single organization can solve alone.

Patient and Caregiver Education

Providing patients and their caregivers with accurate and appropriate information about their diagnosis and treatment is a key factor in treatment completion that is often lacking in LMIC settings.

The EQUIPPED (Enabling Quality Interactions between Providers and Patients through Education Delivery) Initiative—our cancer education initiative addresses this gap by enabling health facilities and cancer organizations in LMICs and other relevant settings to equip and train their staff to provide high-quality cancer education to newly diagnosed patients and their caregivers. EQUIPPED provides educational resources that are people-centered, scientifically accurate, culturally and linguistically appropriate, and enhance patients’ understanding and decision-making around treatment.

EQUIPPED includes patient- and provider-facing cancer education materials in multiple languages that:

  • Define what cancer is, including possible signs and symptoms
  • Identify risk factors for cancer
  • Describe different types of treatment and related side effects
  • Promote pain control and timely treatment
  • Break down the stigma and myths associated with cancer
  • Explain how to take care of oneself on the treatment journey


These materials open new channels for communication and offer hope to families affected by cancer.

Illustrated covers for a patient booklet and a provider flipchart, each showing a diverse group holding a banner that reads “Finding Your Way Through Cancer.

EQUIPPED also includes complementary training resources to develop patient-centered communication skills of health workers and health educators.

To learn more about and gain access to these resources, please visit the Overview of the ACS EQUIPPED Initiative for Global Patient and Caregiver Education.

ACS Global Academy

Our global team develops dynamic and practical resources for use in diverse settings across the cancer continuum of care. The Global Academy provides access to these resources with a focus on sustainable approaches to not only Learn but also Take Action.

Go to Global Academy