The Big Cancer Debate

To all press and broadcasting media, Cairo

REGISTER NOW…REGISTER NOW…REGISTER NOW…REGISTER NOW…

THE BIG CANCER DEBATE

Register your attendance at the debate and the lunch

Register your request for interviews with the speakers

Contact Abeer by phone on 0123295395 or Muna Maria by email at

magazine@eso.net or fax at 00 39 0285 46 45 45

Every year more than quarter of a million people die of cancer in the Arab World By 2015, the annual death toll is expected to double How can we stem this tide of suffering and death? Abdel Latif el Menawi, head of news at URTU, asks a panel of Arab politicians, professionals and campaigners

When? 10.00am–1.00pm, Wednesday 26th November 2008

Where? Nile Hilton, the Corniche, Cairo

Language: Arabic with simultaneous translation to and from English available

The Euro-Arab School of Oncology would like to invite you to attend a media debate between leading professionals, politicians and campaigners from across the Arab world to discuss what must be done to stem the rising tide of suffering and death from cancer.

The aim is to put cancer on the popular and political agenda, to challenge traditional fatalistic attitudes and to start a public debate about what needs to be done – by governments, by professional organisations and by people themselves.

• Tens of thousands of people in the Arab world die needlessly every year from cancers that could have been prevented, or could have been cured if they had been diagnosed earlier or treated better.

• If nothing is done, changes in traditional lifestyles and diets will lead to an escalation particularly in cases of breast cancer and colorectal cancer, with a doubling of the annual death toll by 2015.

• But with the right policies, the World Health Organization estimates that onethird of cancer cases can be prevented, one‐third can be diagnosed early and treated effectively, and remainder can be treated to allow the patients few extra months or years of life and a pain‐free and dignified death.

Abdel Latif el Menawi will be asking our panel of speakers:

What are the right policies, and how can we ensure they are implemented?

Plenty of time will be allocated to take questions from the media, and we would be happy to fix up one‐on‐one interviews with any of the speakers in advance.

Dr Alberto Costa, Director of the European School of Oncology and a founder of the Euro‐Arab School of Oncology said, “With cancer rates in the Middle East set to rise dramatically over the next decade, it is essential to break the traditional silence about this disease. The public needs to know what they can do to protect themselves and their loved ones from cancer, and what their governments and health professionals must do to ensure preventable cancers are prevented, treatable cancers are picked up early and treated effectively and that no‐one has to die a painful and degrading death. The media has a crucial role to play in promoting discussion of these issues across the Arab world. I hope the EASO media debate will help this happen.”

END

Editor’s notes

1. Registration: Please let us know if you will be able to attend. This will allow us to inform you of any changes. You can register by sending an e‐mail to Muna Maria at magazine@eso.net or fax at 00 39 0285 46 45 45 or you can phone Abeer at 0123295395

The conference is scheduled to last around three hours and you are invited to a buffet lunch at the end. Simultaneous translation in English and Arabic will be available.

2. The panel: The following speakers have been invited to form the panel for the debate:

• Dr Mamdouh Mahfuz, adviser to the Egyptian Health ministry

• Prof. Maria Bennani of the Moroccan Association Lalla Salma de Lutte contre le Cancer

(ALSC) – an NGO working in partnership with Ministries of Health and Education as well as voluntary bodies with high‐profile backing from Princess Lalla Salma. ALSC is pioneering a multi‐pronged strategy, including setting up registries, improving access to cancer therapy, palliative care and social support in the regions, screening, raising awareness, etc

• Ibtihal Fadhil, advisor on non‐communicable diseases for the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, which is set to launch a Regional Strategy for Cancer Prevention and Control in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in December 2008

• Ferhat Ben Ayad, president of the Association Tunisienne Contre le Cancer (ACTT), a civic organisation established in 1987, which works with voluntary partnerships to improve access to care and screening, improve standards of care, and promote public awareness.

• Dr Khaled Ahmed El Saleh, secretary general of the Gulf Federation for Cancer Control – a regional umbrella organisation for health professionals (clinical as well as primary and public health) involved in the effort to prevent and treat cancer

3. EASO: The Euro‐Arab School of Oncology is a non‐profit organisation based in Cairo and created to promote the diffusion of the latest knowledge in the field of cancer prevention and cure in the Arab countries. It is a partnership between the health ministries of a number of Arab states and the European School of Oncology based in Milan (www.cancerworld.org/eso), and has as its main purpose investing in training in order to reduce mortality from cancer and cancer‐related diseases. EASO is the regional organization of the European School of Oncology based in Milan (www.cancerworld.org/easo).

4. European School of Oncology (ESO): The European School of Oncology (www.cancerworld.org/eso) was founded in 1982 with the aim of contributing to the reduction of deaths from cancer due to late diagnosis and/or inadequate treatment. After 25 years of experience ESO's mission continues to be reflected in its motto "Learning to Care", which stresses the concept of studying and learning and also of caring for the patient in a global sense. By improving the skills of all health professionals dealing with cancer patients, ESO shortens the length of time needed to transfer knowledge from research centres to daily practice, combining advanced technology with humanism in care.

5. ESO Cancer Media Service: This event is being organised on behalf of the Euro‐Arab School of Oncology by the Cancer Media Service — a resource for journalists operated by the European School of Oncology, which aims to improve the quality of cancer journalism by helping to put news about cancer in context and explaining the science behind the stories (www.cancerworld.org/mediaservice). The Cancer Media Service provides fortnightly summaries of new research findings of relevance to today’s patients, as well as more in depth articles on ‘hot topics’ in cancer. It also organises an annual Best Cancer Reporter Award.