How many children worldwide have been orphaned by the death of their father due to cancer?

This is one of the pressing questions researchers will aim to answer and that is a topic amongst the abstracts at this month’s World Cancer Congress. The study, conducted by the France-based International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), builds on a previous 2022 report revealing that one million children lose their mother to cancer each year. According to the research team, these children often feel trapped in a “vicious cycle of disadvantage.”

The World Cancer Congress will occur from September 17-19 in Geneva. Some 2,000 people from around 100 countries are expected to take part. Attendees will hear from Malaysian Health Minister HE Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly bin Ahmad; Olivier Michielin, chairperson of the Department of Oncology, Geneva University Hospitals; Pierre Maudet, Geneva State Counsellor in charge of Health; and many more related leaders. The event is a project of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), the largest and oldest – founded in 1933 – international cancer organisation. Today, UICC has over 1,100 member organisations in 170 countries and territories.

The event will focus on six themes: Prevention, screening and early detection; cancer research and progress; healthcare systems and policies; cancer treatment and palliative care; tobacco control; and people living with cancer

“I think the highlights of any congress are the plenaries because that’s when everyone attending the congress gathers in the same room to discuss and listen to a subject matter that is critically important to the community,” Cary Adams, CEO of UICC, told Health Policy Watch. “This year’s plenaries cover global advocacy, which will lead to the high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases next year; the challenges of women and cancer, and the differences between cancer affecting women and men, and what can be done to ensure that gender differences are appreciated country by country; and the third plenary on the real-world applications of new technologies like AI, which are important to the global cancer community. I always look forward to the plenaries because I know the subject matters are pertinent and relevant to all.”

HOW CANCER DEATHS COULD BE AVOIDED

Equity in cancer care will play a big role in this year’s event, said Eric Grant, communications and media manager for UICC. He told Health Policy Watch that participants will look at ways to ensure that there is access to care regardless of gender or geography, amongst other factors.

A related, first-of-its-kind study will debut at the congress that quantifies the socioeconomic burden of ovarian cancer across 11 countries and highlights the significant disparities between countries and income groups.

Relatedly, there will be a session on cancer care during humanitarian crises, drawing on experiences from Sudan, Gaza, and Haiti.

WHY GENEVA?

According to CEO Adams, the World Cancer Congress is being held in Geneva for the second time since 2022, a decision originally influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We normally take the congress around the world, but given the pandemic, we felt it was inappropriate to go to a location where it was unclear what the COVID situation would be,” Adams explained. “We spoke to the Geneva Government and various organisations that support international events here and received a very positive response. So, in 2022, we decided to hold the Congress in Geneva.

“The board then decided, as a result of how successful that meeting was and given the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, that although tradition says that we take the congress around the world, there would be real value and benefits in running it a second time in Geneva,” he continued. “I must say that given that the first congress in 2022 ran so well and everyone enjoyed being in the hub of global Health, meeting organisations like the World Health Organisation, the Medicines Patent Pool, FIND, and individuals from other UN agencies in Geneva, it was an experience that could be repeated and would be appreciated just as much the second time around. So that’s why we’re in Geneva for a second year.”

This year’s congress will once again have a focus on COVID-19, including the release of an IARC assessment on the pandemic’s impact on cancer diagnosis and stage distribution based on data from population-based cancer registries in seven countries.

TOBACCO ADVERTISING REMAINS ‘SIGNIFICANT’ OBSTACLE

When it comes to the causes of cancer, multiple sessions will deal with the impact of commercial determinants on Health, such as the influence of tobacco and alcohol on cancer.

Grant highlighted that tobacco advertising remains a significant obstacle to reducing tobacco use. One session will equip attendees with skills to monitor, document, and expose the tactics used by the tobacco industry.

A new study on tobacco advertising on social media in Germany will be presented. Another study will examine how the “no safe level” message regarding alcohol consumption relates to cancer risk.

The use of artificial intelligence and other new technologies in healthcare to transform patient care and enhance diagnostics and treatments will also be explored—both from the standpoint of the advancements they can provide and challenges like data privacy.

PATIENTS WILL BE PRESENT

Grant told Health Policy Watch that about 40% of UICC’s members are members of patient groups, meaning they had cancer themselves. They will have a strong presence at the congress. Mobilising their voices can help encourage policymakers to move legislation forward to support cancer diagnosis, treatments and patients, Grant said.

“We’re fortunate at the World Cancer Congress in that we appeal to not just oncologists, added Adams. “There is a tendency for people to think that a cancer congress will be attended only by oncologists, but this is not true for the World Cancer Congress. We have organisations attending, such as patient groups, cancer societies, cancer leagues, research institutes, and cancer hospitals. They come from a range of disciplines—from tobacco control specialists to palliative care specialists, advocates, and fundraisers—and we get a wide variety of ages and a really diverse population of people, but with a common ambition to improve cancer control in their country, whether that’s improving prevention, early detection, treatment, care, or supportive care.

“That is a unique aspect of this congress.”

This article is part of a Health Policy Watch-UICC media partnership, with no financial compensation involved.

To register for the congress, visit https://www.worldcancercongress.org.

Image Credits: National Cancer Institute, Roche, Gavi, UN Photo / Jean Marc Ferré, Standford School of Medicine .