The Global Fight Against Cancer

American Cancer Society Meets with Leaders in Public Health at 3rd Stop Cervical Cancer in Africa Conference

From left to right:  Her Excellency Mrs. Tobeka Madiba-Zuma, First Lady of the Republic of South Africa; Her Excellency Princess Nchegechege of Swaziland, Princess Nikky Onyeri of Nigeria (founder and executive director of the Princess Nikky Breast Cancer Foundation, and the conference host), and Her Excellency Hon. Janet Museveni of Uganda

The American Cancer Society joined with other public health organizations at the 3rd Stop Cervical Cancer in Africa Conference, which was held July 19-21 in Cape Town, South Africa. Loyce Pace Bass, director, Regional Programs, American Cancer Society, met with public health leaders from Burkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi, Seychelles, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and other nations to discuss their challenges and best practices. Information was provided to participants on the millions of women in Africa living with cervical cancer and the challenge to improve access to lifesaving prevention, diagnostic, and treatment resources. There was a call for civil society, clinical, and government stakeholders present to advocate for the HPV vaccine and low-resource screening programs (i.e. VIA), as well as patient care and support. Goodwill messages were presented from a number of distinguished guests, including Tobeka Madiba-Zuma, first lady of the Republic of South Africa. During the closing ceremonies for the conference, Madiba-Zuma and other first ladies of Africa launched the new Forum of African First Ladies Against Breast & Cervical Cancer. In addition, parliamentary and ministry commitments by several African governments to national planning and civil society engagement on cervical cancer were announced.

American Cancer Society Delivers Presentation at Global Cervical Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Meeting

Many of the world’s leading stakeholders in cervical cancer prevention and detection met in New York City on June 2 to look at ways to coordinate efforts and resources to bring new prevention and detection tools to low- and middle-income countries, where cervical cancer kills more than 200,000 women each year. Johanna Ralston, vice president of Global Strategies for the American Cancer Society, delivered a presentation on how to ensure that cervical cancer is on the global agenda, building on the Society’s work in regions and as host of Cervical Cancer Action, a multi-stakeholder consortium of health nongovernmental organizations working in cervical cancer globally. Other speakers, including Dr. Jan Agosti of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Dr.  Anna Nyakabau of the Ministry of Health of Zimbabwe, discussed new research around effectiveness and acceptability of screening in low-resource settings, as well as social, financial, and health systems challenges to rolling out the new technologies. 

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 Joins with Global Alliance to Support Cervical Cancer Vaccine for Developing Countries

The American Cancer Society provided resources and support for a recent commitment by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI) to include the HPV vaccine among those it will consider for future support in developing countries. This decision by the GAVI Board is an important first step in making lifesaving HPV vaccine available in developing countries, where cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women. Support from GAVI, a global public-private partnership of major stakeholders in immunization, has the potential to dramatically increase HPV immunization in the developing world while simultaneously stimulating country investment in the health systems necessary to deliver the vaccine and other essential health services. As a member of Cervical Cancer Action, an organization dedicated to preventing cervical cancer that includes more than 1,200 members representing 80 countries, the American Cancer Society will continue to support this lifesaving initiative.

Electronic Dossier Demonstrates Global Support for Improved Cervical Cancer Prevention

As part of a global effort to accelerate access to cervical cancer screening, prevention, and treatment, Cervical Cancer Action (CCA) has prepared an electronic dossier demonstrating civil society support for access issues surrounding this disease. CCA is a coalition which includes PATH (an international nonprofit health organization), the Pan American Health Organization, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, and the American Cancer Society. This dossier will be presented to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations and the World Health Organization at upcoming meetings where HPV vaccine issues will be considered. The dossier also serves more broadly to raise awareness of the enormous opportunities and gaps in addressing cervical cancer, and the richness and diversity of stakeholders committed to reducing the burden of this disease, including governments, cancer organizations, hospitals, reproductive health groups, women's organizations, vaccine advocates, and others. More than 1,200 people representing about 700 organizations have signed the electronic dossier so far, expressing support for better cervical cancer screening and vaccination opportunities for women in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This is a dynamic dossier, with new letters arriving weekly. For more information on CCA and the electronic dossier, please visit www.cervicalcanceraction.org