Medical Knowledge Institute Organises First Oncology Seminar In Cooperation With The International Union Against Cancer

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine;  Breast Cancer
Article Date: 23 Feb 2007 - 12:00 PDT

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The Medical Knowledge Institute (MKI) - a non-profit healthcare education and healthcare information organization and UN Associate Member - announced today that the first MKI seminar dedicated to Screening programmes for cancers of the uterine cervix, breast and colorectum will take place on February 23 and 24, in Oostvoorne, the Netherlands. The International Union Against Cancer (UICC) is a co-organizer and the seminar is dedicated to professionals and government representatives in the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Poland who are responsible for running cancer registries and cancer screening programmes. Its objective is to facilitate the exchange of experience between the country representatives and the faculty.

The MKI/UICC seminar is one of the several activities of the oncology department at MKI for Eastern Europe. The multinational faculty is composed of key specialists in the field of cancer screening from the UICC, the Netherlands, Italy, France and Luxembourg. MKI faculty plans to continue activities that facilitate the interaction of the countries with international organizations dedicated to screening and the development of their national programmes.

"We are pleased to initiate this cooperation in an area where coordinated efforts are needed to decrease inequalities in cancer therapy throughout Europe", said Dr. Mercedes Lassus, director of oncology from MKI and Dr. H Sancho-Garnier, UICC strategic leader.

"This is a very important collaboration for the MKI Oncology program" said dr. Harold Robles, MKI Chairman and president. "This program is aimed at assisting policy makers and healthcare professionals in emerging countries in establishing their priorities and short-term goals for cancer prevention and screening, and in implementing new policies and guidelines in these fields."

About the Medical Knowledge Institute

The Medical Knowledge Institute (MKI) is a non-profit healthcare education and healthcare information organization dedicated to the premise that healthcare is truly a human right, both in industrialized or developing and transitioning countries. The programs of MKI are designed to improve the quality of and to promote humanitarian values in healthcare through education and public health programs. The educational and information tools to confront related matters come from experts who are leaders in their healthcare fields. They offer information and guidance honed by experience. Our faculty is drawn from some of the finest institutions around the world.

The Medical Knowledge Institute is based in the Netherlands (Oostvoorne) and was founded in 1999 by Dr. Harold E. Robles, founder and President Emeritus of the Albert Schweitzer Institute for the Humanities, and Dr. Peter J. Bittel, Chairman and CEO of The Futures Health Group.

More information about the activities, projects, workshops and events of the MKI, please visit: http://www.infomki.org

About Mercedes Lassus

Dr. Lassus received her doctoral degree from the University of Uruguay, where she was a Faculty member in the department of Internal Medicine. She performed post graduate studies in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology in the United States. She integrated the faculty in the department of Internal Medicine of the Uruguayan Faculty of Medicine, and was a member of the Department of Medical Oncology of the Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC and of the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program at the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda Md.

She has been head of oncology clinical development in Farmitalia CarloErba and Pharmacia, (Milan, Italy) and in Ciba/Novartis (Basel, Switzerland). She is currently founder and director of MLC, an international Italian based consulting group for development of new oncology therapies that collaborates with academic groups and industry throughout the world.

Dr. Lassus has been involved with the development from first in man studies of more than 50 novel therapies ranging from traditional cytotoxics to targeted molecules, immune therapies and gene therapy. She has also been responsible for the approval process of several current major agents such as the aromatase inhibitor Letrozole the cytotoxics epirubicin, idarubicin, gemcitabine, alimta and others. Since 2004 she is the Director of the Oncology Program at MKI.

About UICC

The International Union Against Cancer (UICC) is the only international non-governmental organization that is dedicated exclusively to the global control of cancer. Founded in 1933, it brings together more than 270 cancer-fighting organizations in over 80 countries. Members are voluntary cancer leagues and societies, cancer research and treatment centres and, in some countries, ministries of health. For more information, please visit: http://www.uicc.org

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