2006 World Cancer Declaration Calls For Global Commitment To Make Cancer Control Top Social And Political Priority
During the World Leaders Summit, top leaders of international government and nonprofit groups, and corporate executives from transnational corporations working on priority business, economic and health issues, engaged in a dialogue on making the economic case for cancer control and putting cancer on the international agenda.
"This was a unique opportunity for a diverse set of world leaders to come together to discuss and commit themselves to a set of actions," said Professor David Khayat, president, L'Instuit National du Cancer, France. The leaders agreed to make the case that a country's investment in solving the cancer problem is an investment in the health of the population and therefore an investment in the economic health of the country.
The leaders supported the development of the World Cancer Declaration prepared during the UICC World Cancer Congress 2006, which is taking place this week in Washington, D.C. A plan was established to report on the progress of this Declaration and to issue a new Declaration when the Congress convenes every two years.
The World Cancer Declaration outlines specific actions that groups need to implement and monitor during the next two to three years. The actions are as follows:
- Create new opportunities to consistently deliver a set of compelling messages that can be tailored to different country settings and to traditional and non-traditional partners.
- Establish more national cancer control plans, along with the budgets for implementing them.
- Develop an international plan for organizing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs in low- and middle-income countries with high cervical cancer rates.
- Integrate the Hepatitis B vaccine with other routine infant vaccination programs in countries, particularly those with high rates of liver cancer.
- Increase the number of countries with viable and adequately funded cancer surveillance systems, including cancer registries that collect and analyze data about cancer trends.
- Implement the effective strategies identified in the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
- Adopt and implement evidence-based guidelines for cancer early detection and treatment.
- Make pain relief and palliative care an essential service.
- Empower people living with cancer and those touched by cancer to fully participate in community, regional, and country cancer control efforts.
"The world cancer community's vision is to have a world where cancer is no longer a major threat for future generations," said Franco Cavalli, M.D., president, UICC. "A world where what we know about cancer, our resources for diagnosing and treating patients who have it, and most importantly our ability to prevent it, are equal in every region of the globe. Cancer surpasses all geographical boundaries and so must our efforts to eliminate it."
Fewer than half the countries in the world have a cancer control policy or plan, and the global burden of cancer is not only increasing but is shifting from developed to developing nations according to The Cancer Atlas released this week.
"We know that one-third of all cancer cases are curable if they are caught early and properly treated," said John R. Seffrin, Ph.D., chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society and immediate past president of the UICC. "But in the developing world you have more than 80 percent of cancer patients who are already at an advanced, incurable stage at the time of diagnosis. A key part of the American Cancer Society's international mission is to increase the capacity of nongovernmental cancer organizations worldwide. If the collaboration we're seeing here today and throughout this World Cancer Congress is any indication, we're well on our way."
To find more information on the conferences, visit http://www.2006conferences.org.
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy, and service. Founded in 1913 and with national headquarters in Atlanta, the Society has 13 regional Divisions and local offices in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across the United States. For more information anytime, call toll free 1-800-ACS- 2345 or visit http://www.cancer.org.
American Cancer Society
http://www.2006conferences.org
2006 World Cancer Declaraþia solicitã angajamentul global Pentru a face cancer de control Top sociale ºi politice de prioritate - 2006 World Cancer Declaration Calls For Global Commitment To Make Cancer Control Top Social And Political Priority - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate