The Importance of Clinical Epidemiology for Development of Appropriate Treatment Modalities for Asian Populations

The Asian countries with their own particular cultural background and risk factors differ from the Westernworld regarding their disease burden, including the incidences of different cancers. The lack of awareness andeffective screening programs in many parts of Asia means that the stage at presentation with a neoplasm is oftenmore advanced than is typical elsewhere, with all the inherent associated problems in cancer control. In addition,the presence of racial variation in genetic polymorphisms may mean that different populations in Asia may notrespond to chemotherapy or other treatment modalities in the same way as their counterparts in Europe or theUnited States. Therefore it is essential that research be conducted into the clinical epidemiology of efficacy ofdrug protocols in Asian groups, with an appropriate focus on influencing factors.