AGIR ENSEMBLE joined LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit to make cancer a global priority

AGIR ENSEMBLE JOINED THE LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit to make cancer a global health priority.

Summit Inspires New Resolve to Fight World Cancer Problems.

28 September 2009,

Dublin – AGIR ENSEMBLE/GOMA-DRC joined the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and other key international health organizations from August 24-26 at the Irish capital for the first LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit, designed to raise awareness and mobilize support to fight the growing global cancer crisis.
LIVESTRONG is a valuable opportunity to raise international public awareness of the cancer epidemic, especially in developing countries, and we are pleased to have taken part in this first Summit.
LIVESTRONG attracted more than 500 participants from some 65 countries around the world. They included world leaders and policymakers, NGOs, business executives, cancer professionals and advocates.
IAEA has a mission to bring more attention and resources to the global cancer fight through its Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT). PACT, a LAF partner, is the IAEA's umbrella programme for cancer control efforts in developing countries. But till there nothing has been done by IAEA in DRC, a country which has 60,000,000 people and without any program of fight against cancer.
“When people leave here, we know that change will be effected and that lives will be affected. We know that lives will be saved because of the programs that are created and dreamed up here,” said summit organizer Lance Armstrong, at the opening of LIVESTRONG.
Seven times winner of the world renowned Tour de France bicycle race and founder of LAF, Armstrong is a survivor of a severe testicular cancer, diagnosed in 1996, which later metastasized to his lungs and brain.
On the first day of the event, Werner Burkart joined a panel of experts to discuss the Global Impact of Cancer. Chaired by CNN's medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, the panel included John Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society (ACS), Christopher Wild, Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and Lynn Faulds-Wood, President of the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC).
The IAEA provides developing countries with technical expertise and equipment related to radiation medicine – a vital component in the treatment of cancer. The IAEA is working in partnership with the global health leader, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international partners to bring more attention and resources to the global cancer fight. Our government must do more efforts and show its commitment for our population to benefit this technical expertise and equipment.
Speaking after the event, Burkart said: “The IAEA, after decades of experience helping developing countries cope with the burden of cancer, has been advocating for cancer to be added to the global health agenda, and ultimately become part of the Millennium Development Goals. The Summit was an important opportunity to make the case, together with our partners, on an international stage.”
A highlight of the Summit's second day was the presentation of a special report on the economics of cancer prepared by the Economist Intelligence Unit for LAF with support from the ACS. Entitled Breakaway: The global burden of cancer – challenges and opportunities, the report estimates that there will be 12.9 million new cancer cases globally this year alone, representing an immense economic burden of US$305 billion.
Commenting on the report, Dr Ala Alwan, the World Health Organization's Assistant Director-General for Non communicable Diseases and Mental Health, said: “These new data delineate a stark trajectory for cancer if immediate action is not taken. The rise of cancer creates an enormous burden on health systems around the world. But this is not just a health challenge; it undermines economic growth and acts as a chronic poverty trap for the poorest countries.”
And it is in developing countries that the cancer burden shows the steepest increase. Evidence shows that nearly half of all new cancer cases this year will be in low- and middle-income countries, and that figure is likely to increase dramatically over the next decade to as much as 75%. Yet currently only five percent of global resources for cancer are spent in the world's poorest nations.
Among the most important outcomes of the Summit were the need to make cancer a global priority, the need for greater financial investment in cancer, and the need for assessment of countries' national cancer control plans.
The main goal of our government could be the building of international partnerships with IAEA and others partners to help our country establishing healthcare systems that provide early detection and timely and effective treatment for all cancer patients everywhere in the country and to concept a National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP).
AGIR ENSEMBLE would like to alert all of conscientious leaders in DRC especially doctors and all health care professionals to put cancer on their agenda of priority because if leaders as us don’t speak about cancer, other people don’t pay attention on it.
By now it is known that 30% of cancers are preventable and 30% other are curable. We may prevent the preventable and cure the curable but this demands our commitment to act and raise awareness people and to educate policy makers to make cancer a global priority.

Thank you.
Dr Mateus K. SAHANI, AGIR ENSEMBLE.