The Global Fight Against Cancer

American Cancer Society Addresses Participants at Employee Health and Chronic Disease Prevention Meeting in India

On November 14 and 15, American Cancer Society International Affairs department staff members and consultants participated in a meeting on preventing noncommunicable disease in the workplace hosted by the World Economic Forum and World Health Organization (WHO). The American Cancer Society’s representatives, who were invited to give a presentation on the Society’s India worksite programs, included Dr. Rakesh Gupta, India consultant, Cancer Control Strategies – Workplaces; Johanna Ralston, vice president, Global Strategies and managing director, International Affairs; and Meenu Anand, director, Operations and Strategic Initiatives. These individuals provided an update on how the American Cancer Society is engaging Indian companies and foreign corporations with a presence in India with worksite diet and nutrition, physical activity, and cessation programs. The meeting included representatives from multinational and Indian companies, national governments, the WHO, the World Economic Forum, and the Public Health Foundation of India. 

American Cancer Society Partners with the Lance Armstrong Foundation to Show Support of HPV Vaccine Commitment

On October 30, The Washington Post highlighted a collaborative effort between the American Cancer Society and the Lance Armstrong Foundation in an opinion piece co-authored by John Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society, and Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. In the piece, Dr. Seffrin and Mr. Armstrong urged delegates of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) to vote “yes” at a recent meeting to making HPV vaccines available to girls in the 72 poorest developing countries. The piece stressed the need for vaccines and appropriate screening technologies in these developing countries, where cervical cancer remains the number one cause of cancer deaths among women, and asserted that data is available to prove that providing HPV vaccines to these countries is affordable, feasible, and necessary. Due to resource mobilization issues encountered during the meeting, the vote was postponed until the next meeting, which will take place in early spring; however, proponents of this commitment remain hopeful that the strong arguments made in this opinion piece, among others, will persuade GAVI members to commit to the vaccine. The opinion piece can be found on the Washington Post Web Site, click here Opinion piece to navigate directly to it.

American Cancer Society Collaborates with Cancer Research UK to Launch Major Tobacco Control Initiative in Africa

Lanre Onigbogi, director of ATCRI (at podium), addresses the audience at the launch of ATCRI

On November 16, international leaders in cancer and tobacco control convened in Durban, South Africa, for the official launch of the Africa Tobacco Control Regional Initiative (ATCRI). This joint initiative between the American Cancer Society and Cancer Research UK promotes the adoption, implementation, and enforcement of effective tobacco control policies, legislation, and programs within Africa. The launch preceded the Third Session of the Conference of Parties to the World Health Organization-initiated Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, also held in Durban, South Africa, November 17-22. The ATCRI will be hosted by the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria, and will provide a platform for information sharing, institutional support, and capacity building among all tobacco control stakeholders. The launch of ATCRI comes at a very important time when, according to the World Health Organization, the African continent is experiencing the highest increase in the rate of tobacco use. The launch of the initiative has received extensive media coverage from United Press International and media outlets in Africa. 

The American Cancer Society actively participated in COP-3, at which the Parties to the FCTC adopted three important guidelines on:

- advertising, promotion, and sponsorship

- packaging and labeling

- protection of public health policies from tobacco industry interference. 

For more information on ATCRI, please visit the ATCRI Web site at www.atcri.org.

American Cancer Society Co-produces New Edition of 'How Do You Sell Death?'

The American Cancer Society's international tobacco control team, working with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the Framework Convention Alliance, launched an update of the publication How Do You Sell Death? on November 17 at the Third Conference of the Parties held in Durban, South Africa. This publication calls attention to the tobacco industry’s aggressive media assaults. Every year, the industry spends billions of dollars around the globe on advertising, sponsorships, and other types of promotion. Manipulative advertising tactics have exacerbated the health consequences of tobacco use, which is responsible for 5 million deaths every year. Using graphic images taken from cities all around the world, How Do You Sell Death? creates a visual testimony of the tobacco industry's tactics to lure new smokers to the habit, in spite of countries’ attempts to curtail the industry's advertising efforts. This publication is available online in six languages through the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids international resource center (This link leads to a Web page that displays a link to the English version in PDF format. Other language versions are available through language links at the top of this page).

International Relay For Life Representatives Participate in Cancer Research UK Relay Summit

Jeff Ross (left), American Cancer Society South Atlantic Division board member and National Relay Advisory Team member, and Rebecca Gardner (right), Cancer Research UK staff member

Representatives of the American Cancer Society’s International Relay For Life® program were honored to attend the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Relay Summit on October 17-19 in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England. Among the guest speakers for this event was Jeff Ross, American Cancer Society South Atlantic Division board member and National Relay Advisory Team member. During his keynote address and a panel discussion, Jeff demonstrated his huge passion for Relay and proved once again that there is an international movement of Relay volunteers and staff committed to eradicating cancer. The summit convened dedicated Relay volunteers and staff from all over the United Kingdom, all committed to learning how to grow and develop their Relay programs as part of the global fight against cancer.

American Cancer Society Plays Role in United Nations Headquarters Going Smoke-free

The Global Smokefree Partnership (GSP) provided critical support in an initiative that has led the United Nations (UN) to go completely smoke-free at its headquarters in New York City. The GSP, an alliance of public health groups coordinated by the American Cancer Society and the Framework Convention Alliance, collected signatures from more than 180 organizations around the world in support of the smoke-free UN resolution to which the UN General Assembly agreed unanimously. This decision, led by the World Health Organization and representatives from the Uruguayan mission from within the UN, brings UN rules in line with the strong smoke-free air laws in force throughout New York City and the state of New York. More importantly, the resolution puts the UN in compliance with the global initiative of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which requires its member countries to enact effective smoke-free air laws in all indoor workplaces and public places. The resolution is an important step in saving the lives of thousands of people who work at and visit the UN headquarters every day.

Third Annual Global Smokefree Partnership Awards Recognize Leadership and Excellence in Smoke-free Policies

Recipients of GSP Awards:  Dr. Reina Roa (left), representing the Ministry of Health in Panama, and Dr. Sonia Meza (right), representing the Interamerican Heart Foundation Mexico

On October 29, the Global Smokefree Partnership (GSP) celebrated its third annual awards ceremony at the First Asian Regional Conference of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco in Bangkok, Thailand. The GSP, an alliance of public health groups coordinated by the American Cancer Society and the Framework Convention Alliance, presented the GSP Awards for Leadership and Excellence in Smoke-free Policies at this event. Four awards were presented this year:
- Dr. Reina Roa accepted the GSP Award to a Governmental Body on behalf of the Ministry of Health in Panama for leadership and commitment to further smoke-free policies by a governmental agency.
- Dr. Sonia Meza accepted the GSP Award to Civil Society and Campaigners on behalf of the Interamerican Heart Foundation Mexico for outstanding and sustained action to promote smoke-free policies.
- Hemant Goswami received a GSP Extraordinary Award for exceptional and outstanding commitment by a dedicated smoke-free and tobacco control activist to promote the implementation of the guidelines on Article 8 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
- Dr. Prat Boonyawongvirot, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health of the Kingdom of Thailand, accepted a GSP Extraordinary Award on behalf of the Ministry of Public Health for an exceptional example of how governments effectively implement the guidelines for Article 8 of the FCTC. Dr. Boonyawongvirot accepted the award at a press conference held at the conference venue.

Potokwane Celebrates Largest Relay For Life® Event in South Africa

The stadium of the Pietersburg High School in Potokwane, South Africa, was transformed into a venue of hope and celebration on October 3 and 4, 2008, to accommodate a historic event: the largest Relay For Life in South Africa. Despite being located in Limpopo, the poorest province in the country, the Potokwane Relay drew over 162 registered teams, families, and individual participants – including more than 200 cancer survivors – and raised 729,000 South African rand for the fight against cancer. The event launched with the Survivors Lap, in which 180 cancer survivors took to the stadium track amidst singing, dancing, and cheering. Following a sit-down dinner on behalf of the survivors, registered teams had their turn walking the track. An estimated 3,000 lumunaria candles burned during the event’s Luminaria Ceremony, creating a tranquil glow of remembrance. The Relay came to a dramatic close the next morning with the release of 200 doves. Proceeds raised by the Potokwane Relay For Life event will go toward efforts to help the Potokwane Region of the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA). This organization will work improve the lives of local cancer patients and their families through a host of initiatives, including monthly prevention and information campaigns; support efforts for the Theunis Fichardt Hospitium, which has taken care of cancer patients and their families for the past nineteen years; and support for the Tough Living with Cancer (TLC) project, which assists children and adults affected by cancer.

American Cancer Society President Takes Part in National Conference on Health Issues in the Arab-American Community

Elmer Huerta, MD, MPH, president of the American Cancer Society (left) and Dr. Adnan Hammad, Director of ACCESS (right)

On November 5-7, 2008, Elmer Huerta, MD, MPH, president of the American Cancer Society, participated in the 5th National Conference on Health Issues in the Arab-American Community in Dearborn, Michigan. The American Cancer Society’s Great Lakes Division board member Dr. Adnan Hammad, who serves as director of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), organized the event, which convened more than 700 people from 15 Arab nations, 20 US states, and 50 cities around the world. Leaders from the National Cancer Institute, Michigan universities, and many governmental and nongovernmental institutions discussed the impact of tobacco and cancer on the health of Arab Americans and on Arab communities in the Middle East. Collaborations between the American Cancer Society and ACCESS have enhanced the delivery of cancer information, prevention and early detection efforts, and survivor support services to the Arab-American community.