Abstract 987: Researching policy proposals aimed at placing cancer on the global health agenda

Abstract

Abstract Deaths caused by cancer continue to increase around the world. People living in low- and middle-income countries are in greater danger than people living in high-income countries of succumbing to risks that can be relatively easily avoided by man-made interventions. These risks include smoking, unhealthy eating and lifestyle, lack of exercise, excessive intake of alcohol, and chronic infections such as HPV or hepatitis. The World Health Organization projects that if the challenges facing low- and middle-income countries are not addressed, by 2015 an estimated 5.7 million people will die annually in those countries, rising to 8.9 million by 2030. With limited medical resources, the priority challenges for the global health agenda remain focused on HIV/AIDS and malaria. Now, however, is the time to transform global health policies. The U.S. Commitment to Global Health clearly states that “Cancer Should Be Raised Onto the Global Health Agenda” and yet cancer remains to be recognized by the global health community as a priority issue. What is the positioning given to cancer on the global health agenda? What factors are preventing is inclusion in global health? What are the primary mechanisms that inform and decide the global health agenda? In contrast to infectious diseases, cancer slowly yet perniciously attacks the very roots of people's lives. This long time-frame means that we must consider a wide-range of factors, including economic, cultural and domestic and international policies. This policy-based research was implemented in the form of interviews with people from various sectors, encompassing various perspectives, including social determinants of health, health equity and solidarity and human rights. The results and analysis of this research are broken down into: (1) Top-down mechanisms, (2) Bottom-up mechanisms, and (3) the formation of new values through an IT network that functions to meld (1) and (2) and promote them in tandem. The results will be used to present the challenges and outlook for raising cancer onto the global health agenda. In order to ensure the global advancement of cancer research, in accordance with the principles and theory enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which stipulates that all people have the right to enjoy the benefits of science and technology, an urgent prerequisite is to promote strategic analysis with the objective of including cancer in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Achieving the inclusion of cancer in the MDGs would significantly raise the profile of cancer in the global health agenda. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 987.