The Global Fight Against Cancer

UICC Conference, Day Three: ACS-Sponsored Session on Tobacco Control in Sub-Saharan Africa, Other Conference Sessions and Activities

George W.P. Atkins, chair, National Board of Directors, American Cancer Society, moderates a panel discussion during an ACS-sponsored conference session on tobacco control in sub-Saharan Africa.

 

The American Cancer Society sponsored and participated in several high-profile sessions and meetings during the third day of the UICC World Cancer Congress 2010. The following are highlights of those activities.

 

The American Cancer Society sponsored a session for conference participants at the UICC World Cancer Congress addressing “The Last Opportunity to Prevent a Tobacco Epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa.” The session gave an overview of the growing tobacco burden on sub-Saharan Africa and the efforts of the American Cancer Society and other nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to combat this growing epidemic through global cancer advocacy and educating the media. The panel discussion at the session was moderated by American Cancer Society volunteer George W.P. Atkins, chair, National Board of Directors, American Cancer Society. Speakers on the panel included Nathan Grey, MPH, national vice president, Global Health, American Cancer Society; Dr. Judith Mackay, senior advisor, World Lung Foundation; Patricia Lambert, director, International Legal Consortium, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids; and Anso Thom, print editor, Health-e news service in South Africa. Mr. Grey spoke about the American Cancer Society’s new global strategy on cancer advocacy and tobacco control. A large part of this new strategy includes the new African Tobacco Control Consortium, a global coalition of public health-oriented organizations led and coordinated by the American Cancer Society and funded with a $7 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which uses evidence-based approaches to stem the growing tobacco epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. The other panelists spoke about the negative impacts of tobacco use and tobacco industry practices on the continent, and how the media can help inform the public and influence policymakers on tobacco control laws.

 

American Cancer Society Chief Medical Officer Otis Brawley, MD, spoke at two conference sessions, “Seeking Civil Society Involvement in Global Policy – The WHO and UICC Partnership-Tobacco Control Programmes” and “Latest Developments in GYN Cancer: Cervix, Endometrial, and Ovarian.” In a conference session on “Dispelling Global Cancer Myths Through Engaging Journalists,” American Cancer Society staff Alessandra Durstine, vice president, Regional Programs, and Cristina Parsons Perez, PhD, program manager, Latin America Programs, gave presentations on best practices for cancer control NGOs to leverage the power of the media to foster an open and evidence-based dialogue around cancer. Other Society staff and volunteer leadership participated in sessions that examined smoke-free settings and strategic approaches to public-private branding of cancer organizations.

 

In other conference-related activities and news:

 

• John Seffrin, PhD, national chief executive officer, American Cancer Society, and Doug Ulman, chief executive officer, LIVESTRONG, met with journalists from the Reuters news organization to discuss the newly released ACS/LIVESTRONG report “The Global Economic Cost of Cancer.”

 

• Elizabeth “Terry” Fontham, MPH, DrPH, immediate past president, American Cancer Society, met with South Africa’s First Lady Madame Tobeka Zuma to discuss cervical cancer issues in South Africa.

 

• An article appeared in China Daily, the largest English language news organization in mainland China, which addressed China’s “lethal habit” of smoking and referenced the newly released American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation publication The Tobacco Atlas, Third Edition in Chinese, launched yesterday at the UICC World Cancer Congress in China. The article also included observations on tobacco use in developing countries from Dr. John Seffrin.

 

American Cancer Society to Manage New Effort against Tobacco in Africa

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has given a $7 million grant over five years to the American Cancer Society to lead and coordinate the African Tobacco Control Consortium, a global coalition of public health-oriented organizations focusing on using evidence-based approaches to stem the tobacco epidemic in Africa. In addition to the American Cancer Society, the consortium includes the Africa Tobacco Control Regional Initiative (ATCRI), Africa Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA), Framework Convention Alliance (FCA), Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union).

In a part of the world that is notably affected by HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other infectious diseases, Africa is seeing cancer emerge as a serious public health threat. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, much of the rise can be attributed to widespread tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the world, and according to the World Health Organization, if current trends continue, tobacco use will cause one billion deaths worldwide during this century.

As the managing organization of the coalition, the American Cancer Society will collaborate with consortium partners to implement an ambitious tobacco control program across the 46 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. The overall goal will be to reduce tobacco use in these countries by implementing proven strategies at the national and local level.

Click on the following link to read a press release on the new grant and coalition.