COVER
Medical Pike
Cancer Summit, Paris, launches world effort to improve cancer care, research and treatment
Charter Against Cancer With Call for Patients RightsFebruary 4, 2000. More than 100 international leaders of government, patient advocacy, cancer research organizations and corporations are reaffirming and expanding their commitment to the global eradication of cancer by signing The Charter of Paris Against Cancer at the first World Summit Against Cancer.
This event, which included a candlelight ecumenical service on 3 February at the Cathédral of Notre-Dame, culminated with the signing of The Charter at Elysée Palace by Jacques Chirac, president of the Republic of France; Koichiro Matsuura, director general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Elie Wiesel, Nobel Laureate; HRM Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand and key representatives from the cancer community.
In a week in which a leading scientist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Dr. Carlos Cordon-Cardo, said in an interview with New York magazine that "we are going to see a global conquering of cancer in five to ten years," the Paris summit, publicized in the USA by the Porter Novelli company, gave a gloomier picture.
"It has become increasingly apparent that cancer cannot successfully be fought in isolation, said David Khayat, M.D., of the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital and co-founder of the Summit. "The battle can only be won by creating unprecedented global partnerships between government, industry, the scientific community, healthcare providers and those affected by cancer."
Each year worldwide, nine million new cases of cancer occur and five million people die, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Due to dramatic increases in life expectancy, changes in lifestyle and tobacco use the number of new cancer cases will rise to 20 million annually by 2020 and cancer deaths will exceed 10 million, despite advances in treatments, reports WHO.
The Charter of Paris Against Cancer is the first global call to action against cancer in the new millennium. Its purpose is to foster improved cancer treatment and research worldwide as well as empower patients by educating them about their disease.
"The World Summit Against Cancer is a forceful way of drawing attention to cancer as a global public health problem that will - unless we continue our major investment in scientific discovery and cancer care - become a scourge of the new century," said Richard D. Klausner, M.D., director of the U.S.
The preamble of the 10 articles of The Charter of Paris Against Cancer requires that signatories commit to the principles and practices outlined in the historic document. Each article focuses on a particular element of cancer prevention, treatment or care including protecting patient rights, increasing the commitment to basic and clinical research, improving access to clinical trials, prevention and screening initiatives and addressing patients' quality of life issues.
"Patient involvement and advocacy is a necessary component to the eradication of cancer. Cancer survivors and advocates bring a unique and important perspective to the fight against cancer and must be involved in all levels of decision-making related to cancer research, care, and public policy," said Fran Visco, president of the U.S. National Breast Cancer Coalition. It is not yet clear whether any measures in place or contemplated will make sure that this is accomplished regardless of unequal financial power bases of the stakeholders.
Article ten of The Charter of Paris maps out the sustaining activities and explains how signatories of The Charter will go forward as global partners and allies against cancer.
John Mendelsohn, M.D., formerly of Memorial Sloan-Kettering, now president of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and an investor in corporate biotech, said: "All of us signing The Charter today are pledging in good faith to do all that is in our power to fight and prevent cancer."
Dr. Mendelsohn said that working groups for each of The Charter articles will be formed and, using this year as a benchmark, will report back to the international cancer community on progress made against each of the articles on an annual basis.
More information is available at The Charter of the Paris Against Cancer website, set up by the public relations company Porter Novelli at http://www.CharterAgainstCancer.org
E-mail