The Global Fight Against Cancer

American Cancer Society at the UICC Conference, Day One: Opening Ceremony, Award for ACS’s John Stevens, and ‘Tobacco Atlas’ Press Briefing

 
Dr. Xishan Hao addresses conference participants at the opening ceremony of the UICC World Cancer Congress 2010.  See more photos from Day One of the conference below the article.

 

This evening in Shenzhen, China, American Cancer Society staff and volunteer leadership joined the global cancer control community, government leaders, civil society, and journalists for the opening of the UICC World Cancer Congress 2010, led by Dr. Xishan Hao, president of UICC World Cancer Congress 2010 and president of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association. Distinguished speakers at the opening ceremony included Dr. Chen Zhu, Health Minister for China, who addressed cancer issues facing China and the importance of the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) World Cancer Congress.

 

During the UICC General Assembly meeting earlier today, the UICC awarded the American Cancer Society’s John Stevens, MD, former vice president, Research, the UICC Award for Outstanding Volunteer in recognition of his 20-year stewardship of the Society's International Fellowship for Beginning Investigators program. John Seffrin, PhD, national chief executive officer, American Cancer Society accepted the prestigious award on behalf of Dr. Stevens. About 2,900 attendees and 200 journalists are attending this conference, which takes place every two years. The Society will host and participate in many activities throughout the conference and staff will deliver presentations each day.

 

Also earlier today, Dr. Seffrin joined Tobacco Atlas co-author Dr. Judith Mackay and World Lung Foundation Chief Executive Officer Peter Baldini for a press briefing on the upcoming release of the Chinese version of The Tobacco Atlas, Third Edition, published by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation. A press conference, jointly hosted by the American Cancer Society and the World Lung Foundation, will be held at the UICC World Cancer Congress at 12:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, August 19. This global Tobacco Atlas, released in Spanish in Mexico City earlier this year and in English last year, is a valuable and user-friendly resource for tobacco control advocates, governments, health care officials, and the media. Chinese media outlets, including Health News, Health Care News, News Express, and China Daily, conducted a group interview to ask questions about the Tobacco Atlas, China’s tobacco burden, and a recent report launched by the China CDC on tobacco usage trends in China.

Slide from UICC award ceremony showing Dr. John Stevens and the award he has received from the UICC.

 

Dr. John Seffrin accepting the UICC award on behalf of Dr. John Stevens.

 

American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation staff and advisors at a press briefing for Chinese journalists on The Tobacco Atlas, Third Edition, in Chinese.

Dr. John Seffrin makes a point during the Tobacco Atlas press briefing.

Some of the Chinese journalists who took part in the Tobacco Atlas press briefing.

 

Follow American Cancer Society Activities at This Week’s ‘UICC World Cancer Congress 2010’ in China

American Cancer Society staff and volunteer leadership will be representing the Society at the UICC World Cancer Congress 2010 from August 18-21, in Shenzhen, China. This major global cancer conference, organized by the International Union Against Cancer (UICC), is held every two years, bringing together the world’s leaders in cancer control for strategic planning and the exchange of best practices in the global fight against cancer. As a leader in the global cancer control movement, the Society collaborates with key partners worldwide to help reduce the global cancer burden and put cancer on the global health agenda.

 

The American Cancer Society will be involved in several high-profile events and activities during the UICC World Cancer Congress, including:

 

· A press conference to launch the Chinese version of the Society publication The Tobacco Atlas, Third Edition

 

· Hosting a joint dinner with LIVESTRONG^® and launching a new Society/LIVESTRONG^® report on the global economic cost of cancer

 

· A Society sponsored session on tobacco control in sub-Saharan Africa

 

· Leading and participating in a wide variety of panels and seminars on cancer and tobacco control topics

 

Check this blog during the next week for updates on Society activities at the conference. You can also follow our activities on social media, through our @ACSNews and @acsglobal Twitter accounts, and the “American Cancer Society Global” Facebook page.

 

UN member states commit to addressing the growing epidemic of noncommunicable diseases; ACS urges vote in favor of UN NCD summit in joint opinion piece on CNN.com

The United Nations General Assembly agreed today to hold a Summit on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) involving heads of state in September 2011 to address the threat posed by NCDs to low- and middle-income countries. NCDs include diseases such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and chronic respiratory disease and are primarily caused by the risk factors of tobacco use, unhealthy diet, and lack of exercise. American Cancer Society Chief Executive Officer John R. Seffrin, PhD, along with the CEOs of the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association, wrote an opinion piece that appeared today on CNN.com urging the United States and other governments to vote in favor of holding the summit. The summit, voted on by the General Assembly today, will highlight the serious nature of the global epidemic of NCDs, which now cause 60 percent of all global deaths and are responsible for 8 million annual premature deaths (below the age of 60) in low- and middle-income countries. The summit will recognize that preventing further escalation of the NCD epidemic requires international solidarity and cooperation, and cross-government collaboration at a national level. The summit will bring together government representatives from both overseas aid donor countries and low- and middle-income countries with public health experts from around the world. They will discuss solutions to the growing danger posed by NCDs, and agree what action needs to be taken. Ensuring that major change results from the summit will require concerted effort in the lead-up to the event in order to agree to measurable outcomes and results. This could result in millions of lives being saved and a reversal of the damaging social and economic effects of NCDs.

American Cancer Society Launches 'The Tobacco Atlas,' Third Edition, in Spanish at Press Conference in Mexico City

 
Speakers at today's press conference in Mexico City, from left to right: Michael Eriksen, co-author, The Tobacco Atlas; John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer, American Cancer Society; Dr. Guadalupe Ponciano, director, Clinic Against Tobacco and vice-president, Mexico Council Against Tobacco; Dr. Mauricio Hernandez Avila, undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, Mexico; Peter Baldini, chief executive officer, World Lung Foundation

 

On April 14, the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation hosted a press conference to launch The Tobacco Atlas, Third Edition, in Spanish, held in Mexico City, Mexico. The book, co-published by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation, presents the latest data on global tobacco use and tobacco control, displaying much of the data in full color maps and charts. The speakers at today’s launch included the second-highest ranking health official in Mexico, representatives of the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation, a Tobacco Atlas co-author, and a Mexican tobacco control expert. The speakers were united in their praise of The Tobacco Atlas as a critical tool in the fight against the global cancer burden. All of them emphasized how the new Spanish version of the book serves as a valuable resource to give Spanish-speakers in Latin America and other parts of the world the knowledge they need in their language to move tobacco control efforts forward in their countries, including tobacco control advocates, government officials, and the general public. Information in the The Tobacco Atlas and in the remarks of speakers at today’s press conference shows how Mexico is leading the way in tobacco control efforts in Latin America. It was the first country in the Americas to ratify the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), and has established a 100% smoke-free law in Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the world.

The press conference was covered by 24 Mexican journalists from leading Mexican media organizations. Speakers included Dr. John R. Seffrin, chief executive officer, American Cancer Society, Peter Baldini, chief executive officer, World Lung Foundation; Dr. Mauricio Hernandez Ávila, undersecretary for the Ministry of Health, Mexico; Dr. Michael Eriksen, Tobacco Atlas co-author; and Dr. Guadalupe Ponciano, director, Clinic Against Tobacco and vice-president of the Mexico Council Against Tobacco. For more information on The Tobacco Atlas, including three other language versions (English, French, and Chinese), please visit www.TobaccoAtlas.org or www.cancer.org/global.  

American Cancer Society Takes Part in Cancer Conference in Japan Focused on Tobacco and Alcohol Control

 
Conference participants, from left to right:  Drs. Michael Thun, Elizabeth Fontham, Nobuyuki Hamajima (conference organizer), and Thomas Glynn.

 

The Japan-US Cooperative Cancer Research Program, in conjunction with the US National Cancer Institute and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, sponsored the Cancer Biology, Epidemiology, and Policy-Making for Tobacco and Alcohol Control conference March 24-26 in Nagoya, Japan. The American Cancer Society was represented at the conference by invited delegates Elizabeth Fontham, MPH, DrPH, immediate past president; Michael J. Thun, MD, MS, vice president emeritus, Epidemiology and Surveillance Research; and Thomas J. Glynn, PhD, director, Cancer Science and Trends, and director, International Cancer Control. The conference focused on a wide variety of cancer research topics related to tobacco and alcohol control, including genetics, epidemiology, drug development, and policy change, with a goal of identifying potential cancer research collaborations between Japanese and US scientists. This was the latest in a series of conferences that began in 1974 and has resulted in Japanese-US research collaborations on such issues as spousal cancer risk from exposure to secondhand smoke, twin cohort studies investigating alcohol use and abuse, and comparisons of the substances found in tobacco leaf in Japan and the US and their relation to cancer development. This conference was the first in the series to include a focus on policy-making and is expected to result in several joint research projects between the US and Japan.

American Cancer Society Joins Call for a United Nations Special Summit on Noncommunicable Diseases

The American Cancer Society has joined with its partners in the Preventive Health Partnership, the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA), to issue a call for the General Assembly of the United Nations to hold a special summit on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in September 2011. John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer, American Cancer Society, joined the chief executive officers of the AHA and ADA in signing a letter that was sent to Susan Rice, US ambassador to the United Nations, asking for her support of the summit. The letter was also shared with Rick Barton, US representative to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

NCDs, including cancer, account for more than 35 million deaths globally per year, about 60 percent of all global deaths. Eighty percent of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Despite the devastating toll of these diseases worldwide, NCDs have been largely neglected on global public health and development agendas such as the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. Millions of lives can be saved worldwide if existing cost-effective solutions to prevent or treat NCDs are integrated into existing global public health programs.

Through its global programs, the American Cancer Society is collaborating with key global organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the International Union Against Cancer, to include cancer and other NCDs on global public health agendas and to increase funding to combat these diseases. The American Cancer Society aims to make cancer and tobacco control greater global public health priorities.

Click here to download and read the letter from the American Cancer Society, AHA, and ADA.

New American Cancer Society Report Identifies 21 Challenges and Needs for Global Tobacco Control

A new American Cancer Society report outlines 21 challenges and needs for global tobacco control, covering the wide range of issues to be addressed and expertise needed to reduce the rising tide of tobacco use worldwide, particularly in the low- and middle-income nations that are the target of the multinational tobacco industry. The report, The Globalization of Tobacco Use: 21 Challenges for the 21st Century, was published in the January/February issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The report’s authors, led by Thomas J. Glynn, PhD, director, Cancer Science and Trends and director, International Cancer Control, American Cancer Society, point out that the globalization of tobacco began with the European exploration of the New World more than 500 years ago. But it is only in the past 50 years that public health has responded to the death, disease, and economic disruption caused by tobacco use. Tobacco now has at least 1.3 billion users and kills more than 14,500 people every day, while debilitating and sickening many times that number. The report lists activities, policies, and interventions that must be increased or in some cases decreased in order to be successful in reducing the rising tide of tobacco use. Also, the report points to an issue it says rises above all others when considering the potential to reverse the global tobacco epidemic: the need for skilled, dedicated people to address the issues outlined in the report. The other co-authors of the report, all American Cancer Society staff, include: John R. Seffrin, PhD, national chief executive officer; Otis W. Brawley, MD, chief medical officer; Nathan Grey, MPH, national vice president, Global Health; and Hana Ross, PhD, economist and strategic director, International Tobacco Control Research.

Click on the following link to download a PDF version of this CA Journal article. 

American Cancer Society CEO Dr. John Seffrin Speaks with Board of Directors and Staff at Lance Armstrong Foundation Headquarters

 
Doug Ulman, president and chief executive officer, Lance Armstrong Foundation (standing on right), introduces John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer, American Cancer Society (standing second from right), to staff at the headquarters of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. (Photo courtesy of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.)

 

On January 27, American Cancer Society Chief Executive Officer John R. Seffrin, PhD, visited the headquarters of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) in Austin, Texas. Seffrin was invited to speak with LAF’s board of directors and staff, including Lance Armstrong, chairman and founder, and Doug Ulman, president and chief executive officer. Seffrin was also invited to a dinner at Armstrong’s house later that day. Armstrong, Ulman, and LAF tweeted about these activities on Twitter. The foundation is a collaborating partner with the Society on several projects related to global cancer and tobacco control. The Society sponsored last year’s Livestrong Global Cancer Summit in Dublin, Ireland, hosted by LAF. The Society and LAF are currently working on the South Africa Patient Empowerment Initiative. The overall goal of the initiative is to support a comprehensive, survivor-informed national call to action that organizations and individuals are ready to implement at a country level. 

Media and NGOs Dialogue at American Cancer Society Workshops in Tanzania; ACS Chief Medical Officer Joins Key Global Health Leaders to Open AORTIC Conference

The American Cancer Society’s pre-conference workshops in Tanzania concluded earlier today with a lively discussion between African journalists and nongovernmental organization (NGO) representatives on barriers to cancer coverage and potential solutions in Africa. In the course of the discussion, the 24 journalists and 34 NGO representatives identified particular cancer myths that contribute to the barriers in cancer awareness in Africa. They also proposed solutions to debunking these myths, including strengthening relationships between journalists and NGOs so that journalists have access to credible and accurate information, and humanizing stories on cancer and destigmatizing the disease by profiling survivors. The discussion was followed by a graduation lunch for all workshop participants, where they were joined by Jean-Baptiste Tapko, MD, the World Health Organization’s country representative for Tanzania. The pre-conference workshops have been generously supported by Oracle, the Canadian Cancer Society, and AORTIC.

Later in the day, American Cancer Society staff and volunteers joined with hundreds of cancer and tobacco control partners from around the world at the opening ceremony of AORTIC Conference 2009. The conference, which runs through November 14, will give participants the opportunity to share ideas and best practices on all aspects of cancer care and management in Africa, from prevention and diagnoses to treatment and palliation. American Cancer Society Chief Medical Officer Otis Brawley, MD, served on a panel during the ceremony with other distinguished guests, including David Mwakyusa, MD, minister for Health and Social Welfare of Tanzania. At the conclusion of the opening ceremony, Brawley was given a special gift in recognition of the American Cancer Society’s role as a key partner in cancer control in Africa. 

American Cancer Society CEO Visits Mexico City to Highlight Expansion of Society-supported Patient Navigation Program in Mexico

John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer, American Cancer Society (seated at end of table) meets with Mexican journalists in Mexico City.

John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer, American Cancer Society, visited Mexico City October 19-21 to talk with Mexican journalists and health officials about efforts to expand a Society-supported patient navigation program in Mexico. This program, administered by the Mexican National Cancer Institute (INCan), helps cancer patients and their families by providing information and psychosocial support. Seffrin met with several Mexican health officials, including José Ángel Córdova, MD secretary of health for Mexico; Mauricio Hernández, MD, DSc, the Mexican Ministry of Health’s leading tobacco expert; and Alejandro Mohar, MD, director of INCan. Seffrin also conducted a press conference and interviews with Mexican journalists. These discussions led to coverage of the American Cancer Society in some of Mexico’s leading print, radio, and TV media organizations.