The Global Fight Against Cancer

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 Works with Partners in Vietnam to Develop Action Plan for Tobacco Control

 
Participants at the tobacco control workshop in Sapa, Vietnam.

 

The American Cancer Society and the Vietnam Steering Committee on Smoking and Health (VINACOSH) held the Tobacco Control Policy Advocacy & Enforcement Training Workshop March 2-5 in Sapa, Vietnam. The purpose of the workshop was to develop a strategic action plan to effectively implement tobacco control measures in Vietnam. The workshop was attended by a group of Vietnamese tobacco control nongovernmental organizations, including VINACOSH, and representatives of the Vietnam Ministry of Health. The participants started their action plan development work by identifying primary tobacco issues in Vietnam, including the need to raise tobacco taxes to reduce tobacco consumption, the high exposure of the public to secondhand smoke, and the need to raise awareness of tobacco laws among Vietnamese policy-makers. This was followed by the creation of a logic model, identification of next steps, and setting up a timeline for implementation of the plan. The American Cancer Society team included Laura Nathan, PhD, chair, American Cancer Society California Division; Dr. Eva Lean, president, American Cancer Society California Division; Lila Johnson, national secretary, American Cancer Society National Board, and Tuyet Ha-Iaconis, manager, American Cancer Society Global Health Department’s Vietnam Program. Key stakeholders from other organizations included Dr. Ly Kinh, director, VINACOSH; and representatives of the World Health Organization; Health Bridge Canada; Family Health International; Community Development Services; Hanoi School of Public Health; and the Vietnam Public Health Association.

 

American Cancer Society Leads Delegation to World Health Organization Talks in New Zealand on Global Guidelines for Tobacco Dependence Treatment

From left to right:  Drs. Andrew Black (rapporteur from the United Kingdom), Ahmed Ogwell Ouma (head of the WHO FCTC Secretariat), and Ashley Bloomfield (chair of the FCTC working group meeting, from New Zealand).

 

In February, the American Cancer Society took part in the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Working Group on Tobacco Dependence Treatment, which met in Auckland, New Zealand. The group developed global guidelines for tobacco dependence treatment, which will be presented in November 2010, in Punta del Este, Uruguay, to the 168 countries which have ratified the FCTC. If the FCTC delegates in Uruguay accept the Working Group's recommendation, the treatment guidelines developed in Auckland will become the accepted approach for tobacco dependence treatment among the approximately 85 percent of the world's population covered by the FCTC. The American Cancer Society was represented at the Auckland meeting by Thomas J. Glynn, PhD, director, Cancer Science and Trends and director, International Cancer Control, who heads the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) delegation to the Tobacco Dependence Treatment Working Group.

American Cancer Society Forums Aim to Improve Breast Cancer Control in Brazil

Forum participants discuss breast cancer issues in Brazil.

The American Cancer Society organized and hosted the São Paulo State Intersectorial Breast Cancer Control Forum (I Fórum Intersetorial de Controle de Câncer de Mama do Estado de São Paulo) from February 2-3. This forum was the first of a series of American Cancer Society breast cancer forums that will be held in Brazil aimed at improving breast cancer control and promoting the participation of civil society in cancer planning. São Paulo state was chosen as the site for the first forum because of its leadership role in cancer control policies and infrastructure, and because it has the largest number of breast cancer patients of any Brazilian state. The forum convened 80 participants, including representatives of the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA in Portuguese), the São Paulo state cancer institute (Fundação Oncocentro de São Paulo, FOSP), state and municipal secretaries of health, leading public hospitals, philanthropic hospitals, research universities, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). It received widespread media coverage from leading print, broadcast, and online news outlets in São Paulo.

During the forum, breast cancer experts and key stakeholders discussed recent advances in heath policies and practices, identified persistent barriers to care, and developed recommendations to improve access to and quality of early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care. The event was organized to coincide with National Mammography Day and São Paulo State Mammography Day (February 5) in order to highlight the importance of breast cancer early detection and care. Speakers included Dr. Lawrence Shulman (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University and co-chair of the Global Task Force on Expanded Access to Cancer Care and Control in Developing Countries), Dr. Luiz Antonio Santini (director general of INCA), Dr. Ana Ramalho (INCA), Dr. Dr. Nise Yamaguchi (Ministry of Health), José Antônio Marques (Fundação Oncocentro de São Paulo, FOSP), Monica Serra (Instituto Se Toque and first lady of the state of São Paulo), Dr. Nelson Pesciotta (São Paulo municipal secretary of health), Maira Caleffi (FEMAMA), Marilia Casseb (ABCâncer), Dr. Ricardo Caponero (president of the Associação Brasileira de Cuidados Paliativos), Dr. José Getúlio Martins Segalla (Hospital Amaral Carvalho), Dr. Paulo Hoff (Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo, ICESP), Dr. Luiz Henrique Gebrim (Hospital Pérola Byington), Dr. Edmundo C. Mauad (Hospital de Câncer de Barretos), and Dr. Tânia Aparecida Correia Furquim (Instituto de Eletrotécnica e Energia, University of São Paulo, USP). 
 

International Cancer Conference in Italy Features American Cancer Society Presentations

From left to right:  Dr. Luiz Santini, Brazil's National Cancer Institute (INCA); Jon Kerner, Canadian Partnership against Cancer; Abel Limache Garcia, Peru's National Cancer Institute (INEN); Cristina Parsons Perez, American Cancer Society; Eva Maria Ruiz de Castilla, NGO Esperantra.

At the 3rd International Cancer Control Congress held November 8-11 in Como, Italy, American Cancer Society staff delivered presentations on cancer planning, employer engagement, and tobacco control in Africa. More than 400 cancer control leaders from Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Asia addressed critical issues in planning and implementing a comprehensive approach to cancer control. In addition to keynote presentations by Ala Alwan, MD, of the World Health Organization (WHO) and others, there were workshops on all aspects of cancer planning and control in low-, middle-, and high-resource settings. Cristina Parsons Perez, PhD, manager, Latin America Initiatives, American Cancer Society, served on a panel about cancer planning with the head of the Brazilian National Cancer Institute. Johanna Ralston, vice president, Global Strategies, American Cancer Society, gave two presentations at sessions organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency on tobacco and cancer control in Africa and working with employers and the public sector on public-private partnerships. The abstracts of American Cancer Society staff presentations were selected for publication in the Congress monograph in the journal Tumori, a journal about experimental and clinical oncology.

American Cancer Society Sponsors Plenary Session on Cancer Control Advocacy on Final Day of AORTIC Conference

On November 14, the final day of the AORTIC Conference in Tanzania, the American Cancer Society sponsored a plenary session about cancer control advocacy that focused on making the disease a global health priority. Ann McMikel, strategic director, Planning and Operations, American Cancer Society, served as one of the co-chairs for the plenary session and introduced the session, along with Seth Ayettey, MD, PhD, professor of Anatomy, University of Ghana. Johanna Ralston, vice president, Global Strategies and managing director, International Affairs, American Cancer Society, addressed advocacy related to cervical cancer screening and prevention. Claire Neal, senior director of Mission, Lance Armstrong Foundation, talked about engaging advocates to make cancer a global priority. Anso Thom, a journalist with the South African health news Web site Health-e and American Cancer Society journalist fellow, spoke about engaging the media to raise cancer awareness. Earlier in the day, American Cancer Society Chief Medical Officer Otis Brawley, MD, participated in a panel discussion with leaders from other global health organizations about the importance of international collaboration for cancer control in Africa.

American Cancer Society and Other Global Health Leaders Address Breast Cancer in Developing World at Harvard University Conference

The American Cancer Society played key roles in organizing and participating in a major conference on breast cancer in the developing world November 3-5 at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. The aim of the conference, which was called Breast cancer in the developing world: meeting the unforeseen challenge to women, health, and equity, was to raise greater global awareness of the epidemic of breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries, where the disease is now the leading cause of cancer-related death among adult women. American Cancer Society Chief Executive Officer John Seffrin, PhD, spoke to the global health leaders attending the conference about the lessons of tobacco control and how these lessons can help the breast cancer movement. Additionally, Alessandra Durstine, vice president, Regional Strategies and director, Latin America Programs, American Cancer Society; and Robert Smith, PhD, director of Cancer Screening, American Cancer Society, discussed advocacy planning and population-based screening. Durstine also represented the American Cancer Society on the steering committee for the event. The conference brought together delegates and speakers from around the world who are working on breast cancer, including leading researchers, policy-makers, and advocates. More than 10 cancer control nongovernmental organizations from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, which are partners of the American Cancer Society, participated in the conference.

American Cancer Society Chief Medical Officer Delivers Keynote Address on Colorectal Cancer in Africa; Society Recognizes AORTIC’s Commitment to Fighting Cancer

Otis Brawley, MD, chief medical officer, American Cancer Society, speaking at an ACS pre-conference workshop for journalists and nongovernmental organization representatives in Tanzania.

American Cancer Society Chief Medical Officer Otis Brawley, MD, delivered a keynote address about the colorectal cancer burden in Africa November 13 at AORTIC Conference 2009 in Tanzania. His address included the latest available data and opportunities to intervene now to prevent the cancer from becoming a public health challenge in the region by using lessons learned from the US and other developed parts of the world. At the conference’s gala dinner, the Society presented AORTIC’s leadership with a gift to recognize the organization’s commitment to the fight against cancer in Africa. The new president and executive council of AORTIC were named at the dinner. Serigne Gueye, MD, from Senegal, will serve as president of AORTIC for the next two years.

American Cancer Society Actively Participates in First Full Day of AORTIC Conference

 
Otis Brawley, MD, chief medical officer, American Cancer Society (second row, standing in center), with other distinguished guests at AORTIC Conference 2009, including His Excellency Jakaya Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania (seated first row, second from right).

On Thursday, November 12, the first full day of the American Cancer Society-supported AORTIC Conference 2009 got off to a great start. The conference has attracted record attendance, with more than 700 global government and health leaders convening to discuss cancer and tobacco control in Africa. American Cancer Society staff and volunteers delivered presentations at key plenary sessions and workshops on tobacco control, advocacy, and cancer planning, including Van Wolf, chair, National Board of Directors; Thomas Glynn, PhD, director, Cancer Science and Trends and director, International Cancer Control; Ann McMikel, strategic director, International Affairs; and Loyce Pace, director, Regional Programs, International Affairs. Following the morning sessions, Tanzania’s president, Jakaya Kikwete, officially welcomed the conference delegates and pledged his commitment to making cancer a priority in the region. In the evening, the American Cancer Society delegation hosted a dinner for Society partners attending the conference.