The Global Fight Against Cancer

Dr. Seffrin and leaders in the Americas show political commitment to change the history of women's cancer at UN

Each September in New York City, the world gathers at the United Nations Headquarters for a most unique global event. The UN General Assembly convenes 193 of the world’s leaders to deliberate important questions such as peace and security. This year, the American Cancer Society, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and other regional partners from the Americas, took advantage of this gathering to highlight an important issue for all of humanity: women’s cancers. We did so by inviting first ladies and other prominent global health leaders to the UN Headquarters to speak on this issue. Against the backdrop of the East River, the first ladies of Belize Honduras, gave impassioned personal testimony on the issue, along with a call to action.

For several years now, the Society has been engaged in a regional partnership with a multi-sector coalition of government agencies, corporations, and other nongovernment organizations to raise awareness of women’s cancers in Latin America and the Caribbean. Women´s cancers have a devastating personal, social, and economic impact on families and societies in our hemisphere. Breast and cervical cancers are the most common among women, with every year bringing 490,000 new cases and 128,000 deaths in the Americas.

Too often, women receive these diagnoses in the prime of their lives, while caring for their families and participating in the labor force. Many of these cancers, especially cervical cancer, can be prevented, or more successfully treated, if detected early.

In addition, social determinants such as poverty, low education, or ethnicity make some populations more vulnerable and lead to a disproportionate burden of cancer on women. Because of inequality of access to health services, this is true even in countries with high incomes.

However, positive news is stemming from our regional partnership. Some remarkable examples in the Americas demonstrate how to improve the prevention and control of cancer. Currently, more than 80% of adolescents in the Americas have free access to the HPV vaccine. This is because 20 countries include the HPV vaccine as part of immunization plans to protect girls from developing cervical cancer in the future. All countries have screening services for this type of cancer, and five  of them have started using HPV testing as a more effective method.

Civil society engagement and governmental cooperation serve to improve the prevention and control of women’s cancers and the elimination of inequities regarding access to health services. Continued improvement requires a major commitment to strengthening health policies, financing comprehensive plans and programs that prevent cancer, and the support of society to further empower women. This was the message at the event by Dr. John Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society, and Dr. Carissa Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization.

 Among the highlights of the event:

• The first ladies of Belize and Honduras called for mobilizing all of society in the fight against women’s cancer. It’s not just a women’s issue.
• The authorities of Brazil, Jamaica, and Peru presented their advances in designing and implementing policies for comprehensive care of women’s cancers in their respective countries.
• PAHO Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne stated that universal health coverage can provide the necessary conditions to improve cancer prevention and control, and give people equal access to comprehensive and quality services throughout their life course without financial hardship. "No woman should become impoverished as a result of a cancer diagnosis," she said.

Dr. Seffrin closed with this: “The ultimate conquest of cancer is as much a public policy issue as it is a scientific and medical challenge, and civil society must be at the decision-making table to ensure that community needs and patient voices are appropriately represented. We know how to save more lives – right now. We simply have to come together to implement proven strategies and find new ways to break down barriers that hinder our progress.” 

A New Hope: Relay For Life in Kenya

Iris Pendegrast, Managing Director, Global Relay For Life

In early March, I visited Kenya with several staff members from the American Cancer Society Global Health department and a Society volunteer to determine how the American Cancer Society can best support cancer treatment and prevention efforts in this country.  As part of this trip, we trained volunteers for the country’s first Relay For Life, which will be hosted by KENCASA (Kenya Cancer Association) in June 2014.  

The cancer situation in Kenya is pretty bleak for patients without financial means.  In a country of 40 million, 60% make less than $2 per day. Cancer is the third leading cause of death in Kenya –after infectious diseases and cardiovascular disease. The leading cancers in Kenya are cervical and breast cancer for women and prostate and esophagus for men. Over 80% of cancer cases in Kenya present late and 80% come from the rural areas. Currently, the Kenyatta National Hospital, the only public hospital that treats cancer patients, has an extreme backlog and isn’t scheduling appointments for newly diagnosed patients who need radiation until February 2015.

We met with several organizations and key stakeholders during our visit who explained that late presentation and management of cancer is due to multiple factors:
- Lack of awareness
- Inadequate diagnostic facilities
- Lack of treatment facilities
- High cost of treatment – the public hospital charges for treatment
- High poverty index

We heard throughout the trip about the lack of a facility for patients to stay if they were lucky enough to actually get an appointment for treatment in Nairobi.  We had the chance to meet with the executive leadership of the private hospital, Aga Khan University Hospital, and they gave us a tour.  It is indeed a fine hospital, in stark contrast to the public hospital where they have one used radiation machine and patients may have to wait a year or more for radiation. 

It is at this crossroads between the cancer science, treatment, and fundraising where our Global Relay For Life fits. The mission for Relay For Life through KENCASA is to fund the treatment of at least 30 patients in each of the 54 counties across the country.  These are people that currently have no resources, no transportation to Nairobi hospitals, and nowhere to stay when they get to the city. It is the sincere hope of the American Cancer Society Global Health Department that in partnership with Global Relay For Life, KENCASA will begin to generate the funds required to provide the basic resources needed in this growing country. 

While there, we hosted a reception to officially kick off Relay For Life in Kenya, and we had over a 100 VIPs attend.  Among them was the Chairman of KCB bank, who not only publicly stated the bank's support of Relay by committing multiple teams, but they also made a commitment of 250,000 Kenyan shillings (about $3,000). 

The highlight for the Relay team was the Relay For Life training.  Laura McCormick, ACS Global Relay For Life volunteer from the New England Division, did an outstanding job showcasing the importance of the volunteer role in Relay, and the Kenyan volunteers connected with her as a role model instantly. Ann McMikel, Vice President of Global Partnerships and Planning, and Jacqui Drope, Managing Director of Global Cancer Prevention, shared our collective global planning and how to leverage the goals and partners of both organizations in the global fight against cancer. We had the opportunity to meet with the Kenyan Relay leadership committee and helped prepare them for the all-day training.  The training was originally was planned for 35 people, but in fact 180 people attended! Many had traveled over 300 km to get there and they were one of the most engaged groups in my history with our Global Relay For Life program.

It is evident that Relay For Life is going to make an incredible difference in Kenya, and it is definitely going to give a voice to the people in most need.  I believe that the volunteers that attended our training will make the difference and they will do it quickly.  They were very verbal about the plight of cancer patients and one after one pledged their commitment to make Relay For Life a success in their country.  Relay will bring much needed education to debunk the myths surrounding cancer in the rural counties, it will provide critical prevention information, and it will bring much needed funds to help 1,470 Kenyans get the treatment they need. Above all, Relay will mobilize these communities, which will in turn force policy change at the highest level - the only way the cancer landscape will change over the long-term.

 

One of the highlights of the week was meeting with the Governor of Nairobi, Dr.Evans Kidero, who lost his wife a few years ago to cervical cancer.

 

 

Luminaria Ceremony training with Relay For Life of Kenya volunteers.

Brazilian cancer advocates take fight to lawmakers on country’s first-ever “Lobby Day”

By Patty Avery, Indiana's first State Lead Ambassador from 2007-2010 for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). She currently serves as a member of the National Ambassador Team for ACS CAN.

Dozens of volunteers lined up for registration, trading stories of their trip to the nation’s capital and hugs for friends from around the country. Suitcases packed into a corner. A session that brought everyone up to date on the progress of a new law to increase funding that will help fight cancer. Time to practice the legislative ask. Small groups in matching shirts huddling in the hallway before their next legislative visit. And stories of positive conversations with staff and legislators.

Sounds like a Lobby Day in the United States, right?

Absolutamente right – Brazil’s first-ever national "Lobby Day" for a patient advocacy group.

For the last three years, the American Cancer Society’s Global Health team, in collaboration with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), has worked to build relationships with organizations that are working to fight cancer in Brazil and around the world. It was time to advance the fight through advocacy. FEMAMA, a coalition of 53 breast cancer organizations that serve one million women and their families, accepted the challenge of planning and carrying out a Brazilian Lobby Day and succeeded in equipping more than 120 survivors, volunteers, and organizational staff to take their message to their nation’s 502 federal representatives and senators in Brasilia, the nation’s capital.


FEMAMA cancer advocates gathered in Brasilia, with a banner calling on the government to increase funding to expand access to health care.


The Society’s Global Health staff, in collaboration with ACS CAN staff, worked with the FEMAMA team for more than a year to create the event. I was privileged to join them and the FEMAMA team on their training day and participate in some of their Lobby Day activities in Brasilia.

I’d lived in Brazil for more than eight years in the 1990s, but hadn’t been back to my adopted country for nearly a decade. As my flight broke through the clouds, I saw the red soil and deep green countryside that were once so familiar to me – and hoped my rusty Portuguese would be enough to help me serve and encourage the FEMAMA team and Lobby Day ambassadors.

I shouldn’t have worried. The instant I saw the matching Lobby Day shirts, the folders full of information on their ask and the planned activities, and overheard the excited conversations in the registration line, I knew I was going to be part of an event that any ACS CAN ambassador would recognize.

And like our ACS CAN volunteers, the women who made their way to Brasilia have been touched in some way by cancer. They work every day to prevent breast cancer and ensure that women have access to screening and treatment – and FEMAMA brought them together to take the fight to their elected officials.

Lobby Day kicked off under increasingly cloudy skies with an event on their equivalent of our National Mall in front of the Brazilian Congress. Volunteers shared their stories with the radio, TV, and print reporters who gathered, and just ahead of the rain, the group made its way to the congressional offices.

During the rest of that morning and early afternoon, the group divided into small teams and succeeded in visiting most of the representatives’ and senators’ offices. They met with staff, explaining their ask for dedicated funds in the federal budget to expand access to health care for the nation’s 200 million citizens. As they did, they told their stories of survivorship and caregiving, demonstrating the importance of these life-saving resources.

FEMAMA cancer advocates meeting with staff at a lawmaker's office.

The afternoon finished with a presentation hosted by a representative who left a career in nursing to run for office. She spoke of the progress Brazil has made in advancing cancer awareness, screening, and treatment. Throughout the meeting, nearly half a dozen representatives and senators came by to address the gathered volunteers.

The Lobby Day participants beamed as their legislators thanked them for inviting them to the event and shared their commitment to fighting cancer.

We finished the day with a celebration dinner and by asking the group to share their experiences at Brazil’s Capitol. I will never forget the words of one participant:

“I learned today that voting is just a small part of my responsibility as a citizen. I learned the importance of coming where our representatives are and taking the fight against cancer to them…”

And whether it’s in Washington, DC, a state capital, or in Brasilia, isn’t that what Lobby Day is all about? 

As a volunteer representing ACS CAN ambassadors, I’d shared in my talk that I will soon have a Brazilian grandson – and that I had joined their fight because I don’t want him to ever hear the words, “You have cancer" in any language.

As Lobby Day Brasiliero ended, I reflected on the passion, dedication, and sheer determination I’d seen in FEMAMA, its partners, and volunteers. I knew that I’d bring back with me a renewed passion for advocacy and a new hope that the amazing women I met will create a future with less cancer and more birthdays for Brazil – and for my grandchildren who will live there.

(More photos of the event can be found at:  http://www.femama.org.br/novo/fotos-detalhe.php?menu=fot&id=65)

 

No woman should die from cervical cancer

 

Today, International Women's Day, guest blogger Genevieve Sambhi, former Miss Malaysia/Universe first runner-up shares her cervical cancer story. 

   

For me, this has been the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with. I am a mother of two young kids (Isabella was four and Alexander just 15 months at the time). The thought of not being there for them as they grew up, is what gave me the strength to go on and fight.

I can remember the day when my world came tumbling down. It was 6th of April 2009 and I’d been for my annual pap smear test three days earlier. I was at home feeding my kids their dinner, when a phone call from my father came through, (my father is a prominent gynecologist here), telling me that there were abnormalities' in my pap smear specimen.

The next day I was sent to a gynecologist who did more tests and told me I would be fine. However, two days later I was told I would need a cone biopsy. I felt ok and just wanted to get it over and done with. The surgery was minor and I was home the next day.

However 10 days later, I was then served the news that the cells were not pre-cancer and was more aggressive than first thought. I would need a hysterectomy. I was 35! This is when I sat down and properly cried. Who would look after my babies? I had cancer and surely that meant the end. This is when I believed that I would die.

I was given a month to come to terms with everything, before my surgery. I found it very difficult to accept that I was losing my uterus at 35. But finally it just dawned on me, I had 2 kids. I had a girl and a boy and a chance. That was all that mattered.

I went in for my surgery, and the next day back on my feet! I remember my dad saying that none of his patients were ever on their feet the day after a hysterectomy...... I answered... how many of your patients are 35? That was one thing I did have in my favor...age!

However, a week later, I was dealt, the worst blow. The cancer had spread and I would need radiation and chemotherapy. My world came tumbling back down. This was when I began to think and question, what had I done to deserve all this? I was a healthy, young, mother of two. I didn't smoke and drank in moderation. I exercised regularly and I have been with my husband since I was 20 years old. Why me? On top of this, I went annually for my pap smears, how had I gone from healthy to chemotherapy in one year?

The treatments were so hard and the only thing that kept me going were my kids, they needed me.

My family gave me the strength I needed to continue and when it was all over, I realized that maybe I could make a difference. I began to work with the National Cancer Society of Malaysia and we try to spread the word that cancer does not discriminate. If I could get it, then so could you. I believe No woman should have to go through what I did, and maybe I had to go through it, so there was someone who could spread the word that there is hope and you can get through it.

I am now three years clear and every three months when I go for my pap smear, I do wonder that if the cancer came back, could I go through it all again. The answer is yes! My kids need me!

 

Cancer Control in Africa: ACS Recognizes International Nurses Day with Frontline Report on Zambia Nurses Treating Tens of Thousands With Cervical Cancer

On Saturday, May 12, International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world to mark the contributions nurses make to society.  In honor of this year's theme “Closing the Gap from Evidence to Action” — ACS invites you to read about cervical cancer screenings and life-saving follow-up services underway in Zambia's capital. 

Lusaka, Zambia — Down a dirt road in Lusaka that snakes through makeshift hawker stalls lies the Zambia Ministry of Health George Clinic. Patients crowd waiting areas, sitting on thin benches sometimes for several hours waiting to be seen by a nurse. What makes this clinic unique is that it is one of only a handful of places in a city of 1.7 million where women are screened for cervical cancer. It is at full capacity every day, as it serves a neighborhood of more than 30,000 women.

The clinic uses the VIA (visual inspection using acetic acid) method to screen for cancer of the cervix. If suspicious lesions are found and can be removed by the nurse by cryotherapy, this is done immediately. Once a patient leaves, clinic staff may never see her again, as most patients do not have a formal address. More than 80 percent of the women agree to be treated on the spot. The nurses’ role as a counselor is crucial, as most patients have never had a simple pelvic exam.

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women in sub-Saharan Africa, due to a high prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, which causes cervical cancer, coupled with a lack of screening services and early detection. In Zambia, the impact of the disease is catastrophic, as it accounts for up to half of all female cancer cases. Eight out of 10 patients die from the disease. Health authorities in countries like the US recommend women get their first screening in their 30s. Yet, in Zambia large numbers of women in their early 20s already have signs of the disease, and many suffer from advanced-stage cervical cancer.

Women are the backbone of Zambia; besides being the mothers, family managers, and caretakers, they are breadwinners as well. The death of even one woman is devastating to a community, as they must now take in the children from her family with the few economic resources that they have available, further straining an already fragile situation.

As bleak as the situation seems, progress is being made in the fight against the disease. The Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, in association with the Ministry of Health, began the first program to screen for cancer of the cervix in 2003. From a shoebox of a room in the University Teaching Hospital, the program has grown and has rolled out to a handful of places that includes the George Clinic. The program has successfully screened more than 72,000 women in nearly a decade. Still, in pilot stage the program will expand nationally if funding becomes available.

Expanding cervical cancer screening to all the districts in Zambia is easier said than done. Roads are ruined in the rainy season. Communications and infrastructure are addled year round. Myths about illness abound. Many believe cervical cancer is a "curse" or a "hexe." Many women seek treatment from traditional healers rather than going to a local health post. There is a strong role for awareness, education, and advocacy in this fight.

In the end, this battle will be won by two people — women entering the clinic and the nurses performing the screening. Their 20-minute interaction is what will bring more women into screening clinics. If patients feel that they are in a secure environment where they are respected and valued, they will spread the word in their communities and more women will come to be screened. Our role as NGOs, donors, researchers, and administrators is to make sure that nurses and their patients have the resources and support they need.

 — Jay Evans, Director of Business Planning, ACS Global Health Programs 

Global Cervical Cancer Headline Facts

• Cervical cancer was the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide, and the leading cause of cancer death among women in sub-Saharan Africa and South Central Asia in 2008. That year, cervical cancer caused an estimated 275,100 deaths.Ninety percent of these deaths occurred in developing parts of the world, where access to screening and treatment are often non-existent and adolescent girls are not receiving vaccination for the human papilloma virus (HPV), the primary risk factor for cervical cancer.
• The HPV vaccine can prevent up to 70 percent of cervical cancer cases, and cost-effective procedures are available to detect and treat cervical pre-cancer.
• To redress the rise in cervical cancer, the Society has spearheaded programs in India, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. We aim to promote public awareness about cervical cancer, educate health professionals, and improve access to screening. We collaborate with PATH and the Cervical Cancer Action Coalition with a shared goal of preventing cancer globally.

Source:  Global Cancer Facts & Figures, 2nd edition

Cancer Trends a Global Issue

By Maryanne Kocis MacLeod
[email protected]; @maryannemacleod

for The Macomb Daily Newspaper(www.macombdaily.com/contact/)

Mount Clemens, Missouri — Around the globe, chronic disease caused 63 percent of all deaths in 2008, claiming the lives of 36 million people. These illnesses, however, don't just kill people — they destroy local economies.

Cancer alone cost $895.2 billion worldwide, more than any other cause of death, according to an American Cancer Society/Livestrong Report. That's three times as much as tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS combined.

A historic meeting of the United Nations last fall brought to light the health crisis — along with the urgent need for a coordinated response. Other non-communicable diseases contributing to the disease epidemic include: diabetes, heart disease and chronic respiratory illness. The only other previous such meeting of the UN tackled HIV/AIDS.

In commemoration of World Cancer Day, Feb. 4, the American Cancer Society is encouraging Americans to learn what they can do personally to address the global crisis by calling 800-227-2345 or visiting global.cancer.org.

In the Million Mom Challenge (www.millionmomchallenge), 50 women from around the country met in Washington to increase awareness and receive training on how they can address maternal health concerns world-wide.

"What we're trying to do is reduce cancer rates in developing countries, particularly those related to reproductive health," explained Ann McMikel, managing director of global health for the American Cancer Society. "Through screening and Pap smears, we have made great strides in decreasing cervical cancer deaths in the United States. But that is not the case in Africa and South America."

By joining the "conversation," McMikel said, the organization is optimistic women and moms will discover ways to connect with their counterparts in other countries, find camraderie and share support, particularly through social media.

The specific how's have not yet been fully defined, McMikel said, but the key message is this: "Get Involved!"

"This meeting has given us the potential to set the global health community on a path toward real change, measured in saved lives and diminished suffering," said John R. Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society. "Our work is really just beginning."

Here are some highlights from the American Cancer Society's annual U.S. report, Cancer Statistics 2012:

 

Between 2004-2008, overall cancer incidence declined 0.6 percent per year in men and remained stable in women, while cancer death rates decreased by 1.8 percent per year in men and by 1.6 percent per year in women.

Cancer death rates declined in men and women of every racial/ethnic group with the exception of American Indians/Alaska Natives, among whom rates have remained stable. The reduction in overall cancer death rates since 1990 in men and 1991 in women translates to avoiding more than a million total deaths during that time period.

A total of 1,638,910 new cancer cases and 577,190 deaths from cancer are projected to occur in the United States in 2012.

The most rapid decline in death rates occurred among African American and Hispanic men (2.4 percent and 2.3 percent per year, respectively).

Death rates continue to decline for all four major cancer sites (lung, colorectum, breast, and prostate), with lung cancer accounting for almost 40 percent of the total decline in men and breast cancer accounting for 34 percent of the total decline in women.

Cancer incidence and death rates vary considerably among racial and ethnic groups. For all cancer sites combined, African American men have a 15 percent higher incidence rate and a 33 percent higher death rate than white men, whereas African American women have a 6 percent lower incidence rate but a 16 percent higher death rate than white women.

Compared with whites, African American men and women have poorer survival rates once cancer is diagnosed. The 5-year relative survival is lower in African Americans than in whites for every stage of diagnosis for nearly every type of cancer.

Despite declines in incidence rates for the most common cancers, the incidence of several cancers has increased in the past decade, including cancers of the pancreas, liver, thyroid and kidney, and melanoma of the skin, as well as esophageal adenocarcinoma and certain sub sites of oropharyngeal cancer associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

The reasons for these increasing trends are not entirely known. Part of the increase (for esophageal adenocarcinoma and cancers of the pancreas, liver, and kidney) may be linked to the increasing prevalence of obesity as well as increases in early detection practices for some cancers.

Cancer Statistics 2012 can be viewed at cacancerjournal.com; Cancer Facts & Figures 2012 is available at cancer.org/statistics.

 

 

• Return to Paging Mode

 

ACS Lights Up New York Landmark Tonight for World Cancer Day

In honor of World Cancer Day on February 4, the Society is lighting the Empire State Building blue and orange tonight to raise awareness of the global cancer burden. Show your support for World Cancer Day by "lighting" your Facebook and/or Twitter profile photo blue and orange. Click on the following links to find out how you can “light” your social media profile now, and learn more about the global cancer burden

TAKE ACTION — Visit global.cancer.org and turn your Facebook/Twitter profiles blue and orange

LEARN MORE — Follow @acsglobal on Twitter

READ — WHY FIGHTING CANCER MATTERS EVERYWHERE 

By Nathan Grey, MPH, National vice president of global health for the American Cancer Society. 

For many years, global health has been associated with diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria. And rightly so. These diseases present significant threats to health around the world. But they aren't the only major killers. In fact, they're not even the leading killers anymore!  Today, cancer claims more lives globally than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined, and the death toll from cancer is only going to grow.

How can this be? Well, there are two major factors that affect the growing impact of cancer around the world.

First, we've done a much better job of controlling diseases that used to kill people while they were still quite young. Vaccinations, new medications including antibiotics, and prevention programs (like providing bed nets to combat mosquitoes and malaria, and clean drinking water to curb a host of other water-borne illnesses)  have led to people living longer. And as people live longer they are faced with the diseases more common to older age, such as cancer.

Second, when people live longer, there is a greater chance that they will be exposed to cancer-causing agents - like tobacco - at some point in their lives. Longer lives plus greater exposure to cancer-causing substances equals more cancer.

'Reduce suffering and death'

For nearly 100 years, the American Cancer Society has been working to save lives and reduce suffering from cancer in the United States. But did you know that for most of our history we've also supported the fight against cancer globally? That's right, the American Cancer Society is one of a handful of organizations striving to end cancer wherever it occurs.

So why is the global fight against cancer so important? No reason is more important than the commitment "to reduce suffering and death" that appears at the heart of our mission. Cancer doesn't recognize geographic boundaries; it doesn't stop at the border. We live in an interconnected world.

The Society is working throughout the world to make sure that people everywhere know about deadly risk factors that cause cancer, like tobacco and obesity, and we are helping other countries establish policies to make their communities safer.  The success in reducing the number of Americans who smoke through education and life-saving polices has had a direct impact on tobacco use in other regions of the world. As Americans quit smoking, the tobacco industry has gone looking for new markets for their products. As a result, some of the highest smoking rates in the world today are in low- and middle-income countries where tobacco controls are weak.

We've also seen the market for fast and convenience foods expand dramatically.  Many of the production techniques and marketing tactics that were perfected in the United States are now being used in the developing world. One result of easier access to this type of food, which tends to be less-nutritious, is that obesity rates are exploding everywhere.  Worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980.

To combat these dangerous trends, we are helping other countries promote smoke-free environments and increases in the price of cigarettes in order to reduce the number of people who smoke and who may eventually get cancer. And we are helping to educate people about the importance of exercise and maintaining a healthy weight in helping to prevent and control cancer.

Sharing advances

Once, not too long ago, cancer was a death sentence. Today, we have more opportunities than ever to save lives. We have vaccines for Hepatitis B, which is associated with liver cancer, and human papillomavirus (HPV), which is responsible for most cases of cervical cancer. We have effective screening tests for breast, colon, and cervical cancers. We have treatments for cancer that are getting better and better.

The tools at our disposal are powerful and effective. Some are ready to be used worldwide right now. For instance, we are teaching and funding patient groups in Brazil to advocate for better breast cancer screening and treatment;  we're doing economic research on the impact of tobacco on South African communities and in their general society; in India, we've partnered with an organization to help people quit tobacco, assisting with training, offering culturally-relevant materials, and helping strengthen community involvement and advocacy efforts to change laws regarding tobacco; also in India, we're providing technical support and funding for patient navigation, particularly important because of their large underserved communities.

Certain issues like tobacco require a global solution. You can't fight a multinational industry in just one country and succeed. The stronger the tobacco industry is abroad, the more resources it has to advance its interests everywhere, including the United States.  In addition, as the world becomes more interconnected, our work in other regions of the world becomes more important to us at home. For example, research and interventions conducted in other countries can give us insight into new ways to reach immigrant and underserved communities in the United States.

We have the knowledge to help prevent and effectively treat many cases of cancer around the world; we simply need the will to do so. 

American Cancer Society Joins 'Million Moms Challenge' to Tackle Second Leading Cancer Killer Among Women in Developing Countries

The Society Joins ABC News, United Nations Foundation's 'Million Moms Challenge'

to Raise Awareness of Cervical Cancer Globally

Atlanta, Dec. 5, 2011 — Although largely preventable through early detection, cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women in developing countries, where more than 85 percent of the estimated 529,800 cervical cancer cases worldwide in 2008 occurred. While cervical cancer screening rates have decreased by as much as 65 percent over the past four decades due to screening, incidence rates remain high in developing countries in Central and South America, the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, and Southern Asia where girls and women do not have access to prevention services such as education, HPV vaccination and life-saving pre-cancer screening and early treatment.

The American Cancer Society has joined ABC News and the United Nations Foundation in the recently launched Million Moms Challenge (www.millionmomschallenge.com ), an initiative aimed at connecting millions of American women with millions of moms in developing countries and raising awareness of maternal issues such as pregnancy, childbirth, children's health and moms' health worldwide. As the world's leading voluntary health organization, the American Cancer Society lends its expertise and resources to the Million Moms Challenge to raise awareness about cervical cancer, a leading cause of death among women worldwide and a disease that affects maternal health, especially in developing countries.

 "There is a great need to increase access to and improve quality of cervical cancer screening programs for women in countries where resources are not available," said Otis W. Brawley, M.D., the American Cancer Society's chief medical officer. "The American Cancer Society is proud to join the Million Moms Challenge in raising global awareness of cervical cancer and providing opportunities to save lives and reduce suffering from this highly curable and preventable disease."

The American Cancer Society recommends cervical cancer screening for women 18 and over approximately three years after a woman begins having vaginal intercourse, but no later than 21 years of age. Screening should be done every year with conventional Pap tests or every two years using liquid-based Pap tests. At or after age 30, women who have had three normal test results in a row may get screened every two to three years.

 The American Cancer Society is a member of Cervical Cancer Action, a coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to eliminating cervical cancer deaths worldwide by raising global awareness and advancing a global call to action to address cervical cancer. For more information on the American Cancer Society's global efforts and how to join the movement, visit www.global.cancer.org  
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end cancer for good. As a global grassroots force of three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping you stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early, helping you get well by being there for you during and after a diagnosis, by finding cures through groundbreaking discovery and fighting back through public policy. As the nation's largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.5 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

The Million Moms Challenge is part of an ABC News year-long global health series "Be the Change: Save a Life," which is sponsored in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For more information about the Million Moms Challenge visit www.millionmomschallenge.com or facebook.com/millionmomschallenge. To get involved in the conversation about healthy moms and babies around the world, follow @AMillionMoms on Twitter and use the hash-tag #AMillionMoms. Watch for the Diane Sawyer primetime special on maternal health airing December 16th.

SOURCE American Cancer Society

ACS Collaborates with Partners in Northeast Brazil During "Pink October"

English synopsis of Portuguese Blog that follows:

ACS NGO collaborators in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, in Northeastern Brazil organized an unprecedented mobilization for breast cancer advocacy as part of the local Pink October Movement.  The organizations leading these initiatives are Associação Rosa Viva, Associação dos Amigos do Crio (Assocrio), Grupo Amar, and Toque de Vida, which are memebers of the Brazilian Breast Cancer Coalition and ACS project grantees.   These NGOs collaborated with the Instituto do Câncer do Ceará (ICC), the Fortaleza Municipal Health Council, and the Fundação Maria Carvalho Santos (Teresina, Piauí) to organize a series of breast cancer awareness and advocacy initiatives including Public hearings with political representatives, public lectures, the lighting of local monuments pink, and a breast cancer awareness walk.  On October 29 th  advocates also organized awareness and screening activities targeting underserved fishing communities in the nearby municipality of Mucuripe.  This initiative included a boat   race using Jangadas—traditional fishing sailboats—adorned with pink sails, lectures about breast cancer early detection, and opportunities for mammographic screening and follow up care.

A Fortaleza do Outubro Rosa

Cristina Câmara Consultora em Advocacy da American Cancer Society (ACS) no Brasil

Fortaleza, Brasil —  *Os Bonecos Gigantes originalmente estão presentes na tradição do Carnaval pernambucano, mas já foram incorporados a atividades de rua por diferentes movimentos sociais, especialmente no Nordeste do Brasil.  

Os Bonecos trazem um apelo cultural familiar à população e facilitam a transmissão de informações educativas de forma bem humorada. “Sr.SUS” e “Dona Saúde” são os nomes dos Bonecos presentes na Caminhada do Outubro Rosa, em Fortaleza, normalmente utilizados nas intervenções sociais junto às comunidades.No último mês de outubro tive a oportunidade de acompanhar o final dos trabalhos organizados por várias entidades que atuam com câncer de mama em Fortaleza, capital do Ceará, região Nordeste do Brasil. Entre elas, quatro associações que têm sido um exemplo nas relações de parceria construídas, inclusive, entre elas próprias. Associação Rosa Viva, Associação dos Amigos do Crio (Assocrio), Grupo Amar e Toque de Vida vêm trabalhando de forma articulada no Ceará e estão iniciando um projeto com apoio financeiro da ACS – “Vitoriosas em Ação” –, no escopo do investimento realizado para fortalecer a Federação Brasileira de Instituições Filantrópicas de Apoio à Saúde da Mama (Femama).  A iluminação de monumentos e as fotos de mulheres de camisetas rosa nos jornais, já são identificadas pela população brasileira. O que ainda se conhece pouco é a preparação prévia e a extensão do trabalho e das articulações realizadas para que se chegue aos acontecimentos que se tornam notícias.A programação do Movimento Outubro Rosa – nome atribuído pela coalizão de instituições cearenses – foi bastante ampla e variada, perpassando eventos praticamente diários durante todo o mês de outubro. Desde 2009, o Movimento Outubro Rosa é organizado pelas quatro associações mencionadas acima e, no ano de 2011, contou ainda com a participação do Instituto do Câncer do Ceará (ICC).A Programação Oficial foi pré-lançada no mês de setembro, tendo ao menos nove instituições de saúde como públicos-alvo, desde o Conselho Municipal de Saúde de Fortaleza até os serviços de oncologia, públicos e privados, com o objetivo de envolver públicos e instituições relevantes no enfrentamento da situação do câncer de mama em Fortaleza, e por extensão no estado do Ceará. Também foram realizadas audiências públicas na Câmara de Vereadores de Fortaleza e na Assembleia Legislativa do Ceará, que possibilitaram a participação de uma das organizadoras do Movimento Outubro Rosa como expositora, apresentando a situação do câncer de mama, além de ressaltar a importância desse Movimento.  Entretanto, a vasta programação oficial não foi suficiente. As organizações realizadoras elaboraram uma Programação Paralela direcionada a intervenções corpo-a-corpo, ou seja: palestras, panfletagens, blitz educativa e atrações artísticas e culturais para sensibilizar a população e poder veicular sua mensagem, de forma mais direta, sobre a necessidade da detecção precoce do câncer de mama. Grande parte dessa agenda paralela está em sintonia com as atividades do projeto “Vitoriosas em Ação”. Além disso, foi realizada uma caravana para municípios do interior do estado – ‘Rota Kombi Rosa’, além de atividades voltadas à comunidade de pescadores, que por si só mereceria um relato específico. *A Caminhada do Outubro Rosa 2011, realizada em 30 de outubro, contou com o apoio do Instituto Avon. Reuniu em torno de cinco mil pessoas, majoritariamente mulheres – várias com câncer de mama – sob uma temperatura de 32º graus. Além da presença de diversos municípios do interior, também é importante destacar a Fundação Maria Carvalho Santos, de Teresina, Piauí, demonstrando solidariedade e sintonia no trabalho desenvolvido no Nordeste.   

A população de 8.448.055 habitantes corresponde a 15,91% da população nordestina e 4,43% da população brasileira.

A concentração populacional está na capital, Fortaleza, que agrega 28,97% da população do estado.

De acordo com o Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, 19% da população cearense é analfabeta.

Um desafio à criatividade nas ações educativas, especialmente quando dirigidas à população de baixa renda e aos municípios do interior do estado.  

No que se refere à situação do câncer de mama, a partir das instituições conveniadas com o Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), os dados da Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Fortaleza registram a realização de 41.640 exames de mamografia, em 2010, e 37.007, entre janeiro e outubro de 2011 (3.304 a mais do que a quantidade no mesmo período de 2010).

Esse aumento provavelmente reflete, por um lado, a melhoria na qualidade do registro de dados, por outro, a maior demanda por parte das mulheres, em decorrência de intervenções e atividades informativas e educativas desenvolvidas pelas organizações da sociedade civil. 

Quantidade de mamografias realizadas em Fortaleza Ano Quantidade 2010 2011 (jan.-out.) TotalNúmero de mamografias realizadas 41.640 37.007 78.647

Número de mamografias de seguimento 12.479 10.700 23.179  

*A jangada é o símbolo cearense por excelência. Cantadas em verso e prosa, as jangadas possibilitam a atividade da pesca e, mais recentemente, até passeios turísticos. Estive presente somente nos dois penúltimos dias das programações do Movimento Outubro Rosa – Fortaleza, mas foi possível observar a dinâmica, o envolvimento e a recepção da população. No dia 29 de outubro, foi organizada uma atividade na comunidade de pescadores do Mucuripe, local conhecido pelo mercado de peixes e ancoradouro das jangadas que chegam trazendo a pesca diária de peixes e frutos do mar. A atividade foi realizada em uma pequena igreja – Igreja de São Pedro dos Pescadores, no Mucuripe. Note-se que na programação paralela do Movimento Outubro Rosa estava inserida a iluminação e a panfletagem em igrejas, nos dias dos santos padroeiros comemorados em outubro. Uma atenção importante do Movimento à cultura local e a espaços que aglomeram pessoas, especialmente mulheres.Na Igreja de São Pedro dos Pescadores, a ação foi dirigida, inclusive porque paralelamente estava-se dialogando com os pescadores que aceitaram navegar em suas jangadas, acompanhando a Caminhada do Outubro Rosa no dia seguinte. As atividades incluíram palestras de duas mastologistas, com informações precisas e veiculadas de forma extremamente simples para as ouvintes, muitas delas mulheres de pescadores e/ou católicas praticantes na referida igreja. Também foram feitas outras apresentações, contando com a presença dos Bonecos Gigantes e uma confraternização ao final. Após as palestras, as mulheres que atendiam aos pré-requisitos estabelecidos, receberam vales-mamografia que lhes dava o direito de realizar a mamografia gratuitamente, no período de um mês, em dois locais de referência em Fortaleza: o Centro Integrado de Oncologia (Crio) e o Instituto do Câncer do Ceará (ICC), que assumiram o compromisso não só de realizar os exames, mas de acompanhar as mulheres, de acordo com os resultados dos mesmos. A mesma dinâmica foi repetida no dia seguinte, após a Caminhada do Outubro Rosa. No geral, foram distribuídos em torno de 200 vales-mamografia. Na comunidade de pescadores, um aprendizado. Sabedoria. Palavra às vezes esquecida ou associada ao saber letrado, instruído. Ledo engano. A sabedoria é a capacidade de discernir, compreender e passar adiante seu conhecimento; característica de um líder nato. Foi o que presenciei no diálogo entre Raimundo e Valéria, cada um no seu espaço, mas ambos, líderes natos. Ele organizou os 28 pescadores que vestiram as camisetas rosa e estiveram presentes nas sete jangadas, acompanhando a Caminhada do Outubro Rosa pelo mar. Ela, uma liderança do Movimento Outubro Rosa, que acertou todos os detalhes referentes às pinturas das velas das jangadas, ajuda de custo para os pescadores, horários, pontos de saída, fotos, etc. etc., mas principalmente, através de Raimundo, conseguiu sensibilizar os pescadores para o sentido do evento. Ao final da Caminhada era nítida a sensação de terem feito parte da mobilização do Outubro Rosa, especialmente com a importante incumbência de apresentarem o símbolo cearense: a jangada. E, claro, também foi negociado um trabalho posterior direcionado aos homens, informando sobre o câncer de próstata, ainda alvo de preconceito por vários deles.Por fim, além do envolvimento profissional, do aprendizado constante com as mulheres que estão vivendo com câncer de mama – muitas vezes em situações-limite, mas sem perder a garra – e com diferentes grupos e regiões brasileiras, é sempre bom estar em Fortaleza. Uma das capitais turísticas mais procuradas no Nordeste, que resiste na preservação de sua natureza, com belas praias, excelente pesca, culinária e frutas tipicamente brasileiras como o caju. Muita saúde a todas as cearenses para que possam desfrutar bem dos prazeres da vida cotidiana! *Jangadas rosas ao mar seguiram a Caminhada do Outubro Rosa 2011, em Fortaleza

Referências

• CEARÁ EM MAPAS 2010. Secretaria de Planejamento e Gestão do Governo do Estado do Cearáhttp://www2.ipece.ce.gov.br/atlas/
• IBGE - Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatísticawww.ibge.gov.br 
• Movimento Outubro Rosa 2011 – Programação Oficialhttp://assocrio.org.br/noticias105-movimento-outubro-rosa-2011
• Outubro Rosa – Fortaleza, 2011http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFcWXZgVyx8&feature=colike
• SMS – Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Fortaleza [Saúde da Mulher]www.sms.fortaleza.ce.gov.br 

*Fotos de Juliano Moura

ACS Joins Mexican Partner to Raise Awareness of Breast Cancer

Monterrey, Mexico — The American Cancer Society is partnering with a Mexican organiztion to raise   awareness of breast cancer.  Since 2002, Cimab has been working toward reducing breast cancer mortality through education, information, patient services and advocacy. Throughout October,  Cimab and other parnters has organized 50 breast cancer talks and will disseminate information on the importance of early detection. In Monterrey, the organization lit the Atirantado bridge and screened the documentary "Un paso, una cumbre" which follows seven cancer survivors as they conquer the mountain, Pico de Orizaba with their family and friends. www.cimab.org.

Alessandra Durstine, ACS vice president of global advocacy (picured left) and Maria Elena Maza, ACS Mexico Manager, marked World Breast Cancer Awareness day by participating in the lighting of the Mexican National Monument, Castillo de Chapultepec.

Mexico's President Felipe Calderon gave the keynote address speaking about the great burden of breast cancer on the Mexican economy, society and families. He was joined by his wife, Margarita Zavala, a longtime breast cancer awareness advocate and supporter of ACS and grantee Fundacion Cimab.

The new Minister of Health, Salomon Chertorivski emphasized the Mexican government's support for universal access to treatment and vowed to increase the coverage of screening programs throughout the country.

Alessandra Durstine spoke about the ACS Global Cancer Ambassador program and the goals as follow up to the United Nations High Level Meeting on Non-communicable Disease.