Members' corner

TogetHER for Health

TogetHER for Health is a global partnership ensuring the elimination of cervical cancer through advocacy, education, and knowledge-sharing, enabling equitable access to effective prevention and care.  

TogetHER does this by:  

• Scaling up to create structural change through policy and advocacy, including efforts to secure sustained support from bilateral and multilateral partners, civil society organisations, and others. 

• Scaling out to drive regional impact through partnership and education, including through its annual Cervical Cancer Grants Program to accelerate the use of new technologies and best practices to reach underserved populations. 

• Scaling deep to address cultural barriers by increasing awareness and amplifying demand, including through its Kizazi Chetu campaign leveraging traditional and social media to inspire a cervical cancer-free generation in Kenya. 

Canton Una Sana – Bosnia and Herzegovina             

Potencijal Una Sana was founded in 2021 to respond to the need to create synergies among the cantons to advance cancer care policies in this region located far from the major urban centers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Alongside the French association Potentiel 3.0, which is spearheading a project for an Oncology and Environmental Health Network in the Una Sana and Dix cantons, Potencijal Una Sana connects the different stakeholders working on prevention, screening, treatment and support for cancer patients. The association brings together political bodies, local associations and healthcare professionals to create positive synergies and strengthen partnerships.

Albergue Inspira

Albergue Inspira is a non-profit association that provides a safe and loving home for children and their mothers with limited financial resources, from different regions of the country, during their cancer treatment and/or other complex illnesses.

Albergue Inspira provides accommodation in an environment of joy and hope, with healthy food and emotional care, maintaining emotional ties and creating positive memories in this fragile stage of life.

NABD-BC2 (Best Care for Breast Cancer Association)

NABD-BC2 is a national, non-profit organisation dedicated to providing support and guidance to breast cancer patients in Morocco. « NABD » is an Arabic word meaning both “pulse” and “beat”; It reminds us that life continues after a cancer diagnosis. BC2 is an acronym that stands for « Best Care for Breast Cancer ». Our Vision is to promote access to holistic, equitable, quality cancer care and improve the lives of breast cancer patients in Morocco. We plan to achieve this through:

• Support groups and services fostering psychological resilience
• a nurturing understanding community where active listening is a cornerstone and positive feedback and inspiring stories are shared,
• Education and empowerment throughout the care and survivorship journey
• Advocacy and lobbying for breast cancer control and care in collaboration with national and international institutions and networks. 

With a steadfast commitment to our core values, we work tirelessly to be the patient’s voice, foster hope and create a brighter and healthier future for those affected by breast cancer.

ESMO Call for Pandemic Preparedness to Include Secondary and Tertiary Care Acknowledged at UN Political Declaration on Pandemics

ESMO call for global pandemic preparedness to include secondary and tertiary care levels, where cancer patients are predominately treated, is acknowledged at the 2023 UN Political Declaration on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response.

ESMO has consistently called for the inclusion of secondary and tertiary care into international agreements and instruments on pandemics and emergencies, as it is at these levels that cancer patients are predominately treated. Given that an estimated one in five people will develop cancer at some point in their lives, that the frequency and severity of natural disasters and incidence of infectious diseases are anticipated to increase due to climate change, and the uncertainty of cancer care during conflicts and wars, this precision is crucial to not leave millions of patients behind.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges for oncology professionals and patients, underlining that sustainable cancer care services must be integrated into preparedness planning and response to pandemics and public health emergencies. This should include secure adequate, continued and timely access to cancer and palliative care services and medicines and the continuance of existing clinical trials, avoiding competition with resources required for health emergencies, and support for oncology workforce wellbeing.

The Political Declaration also pledges to take into account the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, which stresses the importance of involving people with life threatening and chronic diseases in the design of policies and plans to manage their risks before, during and after disasters, including having access to lifesaving services.

9th Global Patient Survey on Lymphomas & CLL

Lymphoma Coalition has recently launched its 9th Global Patient Survey on Lymphomas & CLL. The Global Patient Survey is conducted every two years and aims to deeply understand the patient and caregiver experience and guide our work to improve patient outcomes across borders. This year’s survey is available in 20 languages and takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. The survey is available by accessing this link: https://bit.ly/LCGPS2024

When people share their experiences through the survey, they are helping to make an impact across the healthcare spectrum – globally and locally – and improve the experiences of others who will be diagnosed with lymphoma and CLL in many ways:

• Patient experience – Educating healthcare professionals on patients’ experiences helps doctors, nurses and allied healthcare professionals meet people where they are at and improve communication.

• Support and care – Understanding patients’ emotional challenges and needs can help patient organisations and healthcare professionals provide the support people need.

• Research – Incorporating patient experiences and values into clinical trial design can improve participants’ experience and help ensure the research outcomes are more relevant to people living with the disease.

• Policy – Providing decision makers concrete evidence of patient and caregiver’s needs helps accelerate policy decisions that can have a direct impact on treatment and care. 

Consider sharing information about the 2024 GPS with anyone connected to the lymphoma community. Materials to promote the GPS, including a QR code, infographics and social media content can be found here.

The first cancer hospital for children in Romania paves the way for a medical campus

The Give Life Association (Dăruiește Viață), a UICC member organisation led by Carmen Uscatu and Oana Gheorghiu, has achieved a groundbreaking milestone by completing Romania's first paediatric hospital exclusively dedicated to cancer and severe illnesses in Bucharest. In the face of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this ambitious project, initiated two years ago, not only signifies the construction of a hospital but also a transformative shift in healthcare delivery for paediatric cancer in Romania. With support from over 350,000 individuals and 8,000 companies, the hospital spans 12,000 square meters, housing advanced medical facilities, including the country's first Paediatric Radiotherapy Department in a public children's hospital, addressing a critical gap in the healthcare system.

However, the completion of the hospital was not without hurdles. The Give Life Association, while rallying support for the project, concurrently mobilised resources to aid frontline health workers during the pandemic and distribute protective and medical equipment nationwide. As the hospital begins its operations, focus shifts to the next phase of development—an additional building to create a comprehensive medical campus. This endeavour continues to rely on the generosity and support of donors and the broader community, including notable contributors like ENGIE, OMNIASIG, and Raiffeisen Bank, emphasising Romania's commitment to elevated healthcare standards and holistic care for paediatric patients and their families. For more information read the following article: The first cancer hospital for children in Romania paves the way for a medical campus | UICC

Bladder Cancer Awareness Month Grants (BCAM Grant)

The World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition (WBCPC) offers support grants for Bladder Cancer Awareness Month this May – Submit your application before April 5th!

The grant aims to enable patient organisations, support or advocacy groups in low and middle-income countries to bring awareness to bladder cancer in their communities.

Every year, more than 614,000 people receive bladder cancer diagnosis around the world. For many of them, a diagnosis will be the very first time they hear about bladder cancer. Bladder cancer is a forgotten cancer, and it should not be.

Join WBCPC Bladder Cancer Awareness Month campaign in May as it is the first step to greater health equity in bladder cancer care around the world!

For more information please visit: https://worldbladdercancer.org/news_events/applications-open-bladder-cancer-awareness-month-grants/

Fact sheets on the effects of alcohol use

Many people are not aware of the negative health effects of alcohol use. Even more, only few people know that drinking alcohol – already in low amounts – increases the risk for cancer. Besides increasing cancer risk, alcohol use is involved in the development of about 200 diseases. It doesn’t matter, whether you drink beer, wine or spirits, it’s the alcohol itself which is harmful.

This small series of factsheets on just two pages each shows several harmful effects of alcohol use: most important, the association between alcohol use and cancer risk, but also other health effects of alcohol use, alcohol dependence and why you never should drink alcohol when using medicines without consulting your doctor. Extremely harmful is drinking alcohol during pregnancy, as this may harm the unborn child and may cause lifelong physical and mental impairments and behavioral problems.

For more information visit the links to the factsheets:

• Factsheet on alcohol and cancer
• Factsheet on adverse health effects due to alcohol use
• Factsheet on alcohol dependence
• Factsheet on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

The other victims of Advanced Breast Cancer

UICC member ABC Global Alliance's latest campaign, 'The Other Victims of Advanced Breast Cancer,' is an initiative driven by real-life stories from around the world. The campaign aims to spotlight the often-overlooked impact of this disease on partners, children, parents and other loved ones of advanced breast cancer/metastatic breast cancer patients. It emphasises the profound ripple effect when patients do not receive timely and adequate treatment.

The campaign encourages you to explore the website www.abcglobalalliance.org, where you can discover ways to contribute to positive change.

ABC Global Alliance is a nonprofit organisation, and a multistakeholder platform based in Portugal. It brings together individuals and organizations dedicated to advancing, promoting, and supporting concrete improvements. The collective goal is to raise awareness and drive actions that contribute to enhancing and extending the lives of patients worldwide who are living with ABC/mBC.

GIAHC and Public Health Research Institute of India (PHRII)'s Cervical Cancer Prevention Campaign (CCPC) Report

The report details a campaign by UICC member Global Initiative Against HPV and Cervical Cancer (GIAHC) and Public Health Research Institute of India (PHRII) to raise HPV awareness on and around March 4th, International HPV Awareness Day (IHAD). The program was aimed at raising awareness among young adults and health care professionals in-training in Mysuru, aligning with WHO’s Global Strategy for Cervical Cancer Elimination. The purpose of this programme was to deliver tested and effective communication toolkits to improve awareness about risk factors, health literacy, and behaviour change for communities in areas of HPV, HPV vaccine and cervical cancer prevention and then plan for future activities that will promote cervical cancer prevention through screening and vaccination in Mysuru, Karnataka, India. 

Click here to access the report.