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Palliative care is a vital component of primary healthcare systems, especially in Asia, where the ageing population is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. Integrating palliative care into primary healthcare systems is a crucial strategy for achieving universal access to palliative care. It is necessary to take concurrent actions to achieve this integration, including integrating palliative care into public health policies, educating primary healthcare workers, establishing appropriate service structures and ensuring the availability of controlled medications. Healthcare professionals involved with primary care, often led by physicians, play a significant role in driving the implementation of primary palliative care in Asia, as evidenced by their involvement in community- and home-based palliative care in India and primary palliative care for patients with cancer in Indonesia. However, there are challenges associated with implementing these actions in each country. Therefore, it is crucial to examine the ongoing advocacy efforts, milestones, obstacles and strategies that shape this process in the Asian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for palliative care is increasing, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Higher education institutions (HEIs) have a role to play in developing a skilled palliative care workforce in LMICs. A workshop was held to discuss this issue, and it was attended by experts from around the world. The workshop highlighted the challenges and opportunities for palliative care education in HEIs for LMIC settings. The participants discussed the importance of a collaborative interprofessional approach and advocacy for the inclusion of palliative care into a wide range of curricula. They also expressed the hope to explore possibilities of networks to continue this discussion and incorporate the wider perspectives from primary care and humanitarian practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common cancer with a huge impact on international public health. This review discusses recent evidence on modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for CRC using a systematic review method. This systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines on systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies. The literature search was performed on the Ovid MEDLINE database and included publications from 2015 to 2017, followed by a quality assessment and a narrative synthesis. Of the 90 identified articles, there were 13 meta-analyses with statistically significant results. Seven articles discussed modifiable risk factors and six articles discussed non-modifiable risk. The modifiable risk factors with the highest risk were radiotherapy of prostate cancer (pooled odds ratio 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.33-2.12). The non-modifiable risk factors with the highest risk was Lynch syndrome (hazard ratio 135.49; 95% CI 111.55-164.57). This review discovered new and previously known risk factors for CRC. Recent evidence shows that research on CRC risk factors is continuing to grow indicating that more studies on risk factors are needed to optimize CRC prevention and early detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]