Lance Armstrong Foundation And American Cancer Society Announce International Partnership To Fight Global Cancer Burden

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 30 Jun 2009 - 6:00 PDT

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Today the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the American Cancer Society announced they have formed a first-of-its-kind partnership to empower and support survivors all over the world and aggressively address the global cancer burden. As part of its ongoing global commitment to fight cancer, the Society has become an international collaborating partner for the LIVESTRONG® Global Cancer Summit in Dublin, Ireland in August. The Society will actively participate in LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign events at both the Tour de France in July and the Summit, beginning Aug. 24 in Dublin. John R. Seffrin, Ph.D., chief executive officer, American Cancer Society, will join the U.S. delegation to the Summit and address the 250 advocates selected from all over the world for their commitments to cancer control.

"Unity is strength and today, we are thrilled to once more welcome the American Cancer Society to the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign," said Doug Ulman, president and chief executive officer, Lance Armstrong Foundation. "In order to conquer this disease, the cancer community must join forces with governments, communities and survivors all over the world. And thanks to the support of the American Cancer Society, and its decades of experience in working to support survivors and combat cancer, we are closer to that goal."

"Because of his remarkable athletic accomplishments and compelling cancer experience, Lance Armstrong has a unique ability to focus the world's attention on the issue of cancer in ways we cannot do alone," added Dr. Seffrin. "The American Cancer Society supports patient service and advocacy programs with our partners in more than 20 countries, and this newest collaboration with the Lance Armstrong Foundation is a remarkable opportunity to further our shared mission."

In addition to the Summit partnership, the two organizations will create a survivor advocacy movement. Beginning with pilot forums in a few select countries, the movement will focus on survivor empowerment. The goal of this unique initiative is to develop a comprehensive national call to action implemented by cancer survivors, organizations and representatives from the health and government sectors to address a broad range of quality of life and survivorship issues. The forums are aimed at highlighting patient care concerns and formulating recommendations that can serve as a resource for health professionals and authorities in the ongoing effort to improve patient care and access. They also play an important role in breaking down the social stigma associated with cancer, highlighting social and economic issues and revealing cultural differences that may need to be actively addressed. Patient forums help keep cancer in the public spotlight, reinforcing the priority accorded to cancer control strategies. In the long-term, the patient empowerment initiative is expected to support efforts to address the burden of cancer in each country and grow into an international survivor advocacy movement.

This partnership marks the third time in the past year that the Society and LAF have joined together to address the growing global cancer burden, which takes more lives than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.

In September 2008, Dr. Seffrin joined with Lance Armstrong, LAF founder and chairman, cancer survivor and champion cyclist, when he announced the Foundation's commitment to making cancer a global priority at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York. The LAF made this commitment after its worldwide research, conducted over 18 months, revealed widespread misconceptions, stigma and lack of awareness associated with cancer. In response, the LAF established the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign to urgently address the burden of cancer worldwide and support the 28 million people living with cancer around the globe. The LAF recognized that a global challenge like cancer required a global movement. And so it began urging world leaders, leading cancer organizations and cancer survivors to join together by making commitments to take action in their communities to reduce the burden of cancer.

Last December, the two organizations united with Komen for the Cure and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to issue a call to action following the release of the World Cancer Report, which showed that the burden of cancer doubled globally between 1975 and 2000, and estimated that it will double again by 2020 and nearly triple by 2030 without intervention. As a result of these successful collaborations, the LAF and the Society are uniting once more to further their shared goals and empower survivors worldwide.

About the Lance Armstrong Foundation

At the Lance Armstrong Foundation, we fight for the 28 million people around the world living with cancer today. There can be - and should be - life after cancer for more people. That's why we kick in at the moment of diagnosis, giving people the resources and support they need to fight cancer head-on. We find innovative ways to raise awareness, fund research and end the stigma about cancer that many survivors face. We connect people and communities to drive social change, and we call for state, national and world leaders to help fight this disease. Anyone anywhere can join our fight against cancer. Join us at http://www.LIVESTRONG.org.

Source
American Cancer Society