The Global Fight Against Cancer

Cancer Stories Resonate Around the World

Editorial contribution by Judy Fortin, National Director, American Cancer Society Media Relations 

Cape Town, South Africa -- Working for the American Cancer Society, I’ve often heard my colleagues say that cancer knows no boundaries.   I didn’t know the true meaning of the phrase until I traveled half way around the world to South Africa and had the chance to work with cancer survivors.

I’m participating the week of May 9 in the 'Voice of Cancer Survivor Forum' in Cape Town.   My role was to help prepare two dozen cancer survivors to speak to the media and make their voices heard about key issues that need to be addressed in South Africa.  

Cancer is rapidly becoming a global pandemic.  South Africa, a country hit hard by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, is now grappling with staggering statistics that have created not only a cancer burden, but significant levels of stigma.  

It takes a lot of courage for any cancer survivor to tell his or her story, but just imagine what it would be like to share intimate details of your health history in a part of the world where some people believe that cancer is contagious.

It was remarkable to hear a young breast cancer survivor tell me what it was like to be diagnosed at the age of 24 and to be dealing with a recurrence of the disease now nine years later.  A man named David said a persistent cough led him to make an appointment at a medical clinic only to find out that he had cancer of the larynx.  When his doctor originally tried to treat him for bronchitis, he insisted on further testing.  Another man told me what it was like when a doctor told him he had five years to live following a lung cancer diagnosis.
The stories are chilling and poignant, yet they could be told ten times over in countries around the world.  Cancer survivors share more than the name of a disease they share the pain and heartache of knowing that their lives will never be the same following diagnosis.  

Cancer doesn’t care if the patient is rich or poor, black or white, educated or illiterate.  It is crossing borders and boundaries at an alarming rate, but with survivors willing to come forward to be advocates for cancer care in places like South Africa, future generations might not have to suffer from this dreaded disease.  

 

American Cancer Society Holds Media Training in Vietnam, Focused on Bans on Tobacco Advertisements and Sponsorship

 
Some of the participants in the September 21 media training in Vietnam

 

On September 21, leading journalists from the cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam participated in the third American Cancer Society advanced training for the Vietnamese media. This event was sponsored, in part, by Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. Tobacco control experts from the Ho Chi Minh Health Services Department and VINACOSH, a Vietnamese tobacco control nongovernmental organization, spoke about the difficulties of implementing the bans on tobacco advertising and sponsorship, and the need for journalists to take a greater stance on implementing the law. Charles Smith, an attorney and board member for the California Division of the American Cancer Society, spoke about his work on implementing tobacco control laws in the United States and the important role journalists play in keeping tobacco companies accountable.

 

During the training, the journalists visited various public areas in Vietnam (i.e. restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, etc.) and interviewed people regarding their awareness of the bans on tobacco advertisements and sponsorship. These journalists were then encouraged to use this information to develop articles for publication to their press outlets.

 

ACS Vietnam Manager Tuyet Ha-Iaconis and her team have been providing hands-on training and feedback to Vietnamese journalists for over a year to help develop their skills and provide them with international opportunities to expand their knowledge base. During this fellowship, ACS selected three outstanding journalists to attend the Asia Pacific Conference on Tobacco or Health (APACT) Conference in Sydney, Australia.

 

To learn more about these journalists and their work, please visit the Vietnam Fellowship Blog site (blog is in the Vietnamese language): http://vnmediaantismoking.blogspot.com/

 

 

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.

 

UICC Conference, Day Two: World Cancer Leaders’ Summit, ‘Tobacco Atlas’ Press Conference, ACS/LIVESTRONG Joint Dinner

Dr. John Seffrin, chief executive officer, American Cancer Society, addresses participants at the World Cancer Leaders' Summit at the UICC World Cancer Congress 2010 in China. See more photos of ACS activities at the conference below the article.

  

  

The American Cancer Society co-hosted and participated in several high-profile events during the second day of the UICC World Cancer Congress 2010. The following are highlights of those activities.

  

The American Cancer Society co-sponsored the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit, a major gathering of cancer control leaders from around the world representing health, government, nongovernmental organization (NGO), and corporate sectors. Other sponsors for the Summit included the International Union Against Cancer (UICC), LIVESTRONG^® (Lance Armstrong Foundation), the World Economic Forum, and the World Health Organization (WHO). John Seffrin, PhD, national chief executive officer, American Cancer Society, and a former president of the UICC, joined other internationally recognized cancer control experts in discussing progress in the global fight against cancer and contributions to a long-term plan supporting the implementation of the World Cancer Declaration. The World Cancer Declaration is a global call to action by policymakers describing 11 targets that, if achieved, will help reverse the cancer epidemic. Following the Summit, Dr. Seffrin and other leaders took questions from journalists at a press briefing.

  

The American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation (WLF) launched the Chinese language version of The Tobacco Atlas, Third Edition, at a standing-room only press conference at the UICC World Cancer Congress. 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. About 40 journalists covered the event, asking many questions of the speakers. Those speakers included Dr. John Seffrin; Dr. Judith Mackay, Tobacco Atlas co-author, senior advisor to WLF, and senior policy advisor to the WHO; Peter Baldini, chief executive officer, World Lung Foundation; Professor Gong-Huan Yang, deputy director of the China Center for Disease Control (China CDC); and Cary Adams, chief executive officer, UICC. Dr. Seffrin stressed the importance of The Tobacco Atlas as a valuable resource for tobacco control advocates and policymakers worldwide. He also noted that the data from The Tobacco Atlas will be critical for policymakers in China as they address the growing tobacco burden in their country. Dr. Mackay echoed Dr. Seffrin’s assessment of the book, emphasizing that important information on tobacco use and control can be found on every page. Dr. Mackay, who is based in Hong Kong, also made several observations about the harmful effects of tobacco use on China’s economy and public health. For more information about The Tobacco Atlas, please visit http://tobaccoatlas.org

  

In the evening, the American Cancer Society and LIVESTRONG co-hosted a dinner for UICC conference participants. The dinner, titled “The Cost of Cancer,” featured speakers who addressed the economic costs wrought by cancer worldwide. Those speakers included Dr. John Seffrin; Doug Ulman, president and chief executive officer, LIVESTRONG; Dr. Serigne Gueye, president, African Organisation for Research & Training in Cancer (AORTIC); and Her Royal Highness Princess Dina Mired of Jordan. Dr. Seffrin’s remarks focused on the new report ‘The Global Economic Cost of Cancer,’ released earlier this week by the American Cancer Society and LIVESTRONG. Dr. Seffrin described some stunning findings from the report which demonstrate how cancer has become the world’s top “economic killer” in addition to its being the leading cause of death worldwide.

Speakers at the press conference for the launch of the Chinese version of The Tobacco Atlas, Third Edition. From left to right: Dr. John Seffrin, national chief executive officer; American Cancer Society; Professor Gong-Huan Yang, deputy director, China CDC; Dr. Judith Mackay, Tobacco Atlas co-author, senior advisor to WLF, and senior policy advisor to the WHO; Peter Baldini, chief executive officer, WLF; Cary Adams, president, UICC.

 
Dr. Judith Mackay showing a section of The Tobacco Atlas during the press conference.

 

 
Some of the 40 journalists and other guests who attended the press conference.

 

Dr. John Seffrin speaking at the ACS/LIVESTRONG joint dinner.

  

Doug Ulman, president and chief executive officer, LIVESTRONG, at the Society/LIVESTRONG joint dinner. 
  

 

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.

 

American Cancer Society and LIVESTRONG® Release First-of-its-kind Study ‘Global Economic Cost of Cancer’

On August 16, the American Cancer Society and LIVESTRONG^® released the ‘Global Economic Cost of Cancer’ report summary with an exclusive story from the Associated Press. This report, authored by American Cancer Society researchers Rijo M. John, PhD, director, international tobacco control research, and Hana Ross, PhD, strategic director, international tobacco control research, is a first-of-its-kind study on the economic cost of all causes of death globally, including cancer and other noncommunicable diseases and communicable diseases. The report shows that cancer has the greatest economic impact from premature death and disability of all causes of death worldwide. The economic toll from cancer is nearly 20 percent higher than heart disease, the second leading cause of economic loss ($895 billion and $753 billion respectively). This figure does not include direct medical costs, which would further increase the overall economic impact of cancer. John Seffrin, PhD, national chief executive officer, American Cancer Society, will deliver the report highlights on Thursday, August 19, during a dinner jointly hosted by the American Cancer Society and LIVESTRONG at the UICC World Cancer Congress 2010 in Shenzhen, China.

 

Click on the following link to find links that will allow you to download a summary of the report and a press release about the report.

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 Hosts Workshop on Tobacco Control for 28 Journalists in Hanoi, Vietnam

Participants in the journalist workshop on tobacco control in Hanoi, Vietnam

 

The American Cancer Society conducted a journalist workshop on tobacco control for 28 journalists May 5-6 in Hanoi, Vietnam. The Tobacco Control Journalist Fellowship Program was supported by Atlantic Philanthropies, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, and VINACOSH, a Vietnamese tobacco control organization and partner of the American Cancer Society. The training began with a press conference sponsored by the World Lung Foundation, highlighting the success of its television tobacco control media campaign. This was followed by an advanced media training program. Tuyet Ha-Iaconis, Vietnam program manager, American Cancer Society, and her team developed the program to foster discussions between journalists and representatives of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), enabling them to share key information and messages that they in turn can provide to villages and provinces about the dangers of tobacco. Tobacco control experts in Vietnam participated in roundtable discussions with journalists on issues such as smoke-free areas, health warning labels, tobacco tax, and tobacco advertising. The two-day workshop included presentations by American Cancer Society staff Danny Ingram, chief staff officer, Strategic Initiatives, High Plains Division; and Evan Blecher, economist, International Tobacco Control Research. There was also a visit to the National Cancer Hospital in Hanoi, where participants were able to interact with cancer patients and their families. A team of media professionals helped to facilitate the training, including Vu Manh Cuong, deputy editor-in-chief, Lao Dong newspaper in Vietnam; Mary Cardaras, a former CNN producer; and Gita Pullapilly, a former US and global journalist. The 28 journalist fellows will continue to report on tobacco control issues in Vietnam and receive guidance and feedback from global health and tobacco control experts throughout the year. 

American Cancer Society Hosts First Francophone African Media Summit in Douala, Cameroon

 
Loyce Pace (on right and in camera frame), director, Regional Programs, American Cancer Society, and Awatef Dali (center), a television personality and communications expert from Tunisia, are interviewed by journalists on the TV program Good Morning, Cameroon.

 

The Africa Cancer Information and Advocacy Initiative, managed by the American Cancer Society and supported by Oracle and the Canadian Cancer Society, hosted its first Francophone African Media Summit, which brought together more than 20 communications experts and journalists working in the health sector from the following countries in which French is commonly spoken: Senegal, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, and Cameroon. The three-day summit, held April 16-18 in Douala, Cameroon, focused on information exchange and capacity building for cancer- and tobacco-related reporting in Africa. The summit offered participants a hands-on workshop-type environment that encouraged robust discussions on cancer- and tobacco-related themes. The participants ultimately developed an action plan outlining ways in which they can develop information exchanges on cancer and tobacco control and improve journalist capacity on health reporting. Loyce Pace, director, Regional Programs, American Cancer Society, gave the opening remarks during the first day of the event. The special guest speaker for the summit was Paul Ndom, MD, former president of the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC). Dr. Ndom also serves as deputy permanent secretary of the National Program Fight against Cancer, a cancer control group based in Cameroon, and as founding president of SOCHIMIO, a nongovernmental organization based in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé. Some of the other expert speakers included Awatef Dali, a television personality and communications expert from Tunisia; Fara Diaw, a Senegal-based print journalist and media trainer; and Khalil Gueye, a US-based producer, broadcaster, and CNN contributor. The event received publicity in numerous leading national media outlets, including a live broadcast on Good Morning, Cameroon, a bilingual French/English program broadcast within Cameroon and to neighboring countries by Cameroon-based Spectrum Television (STV).