Feature

Global warning

With the incidence of breast cancer increasing worldwide, international co-operation is essential, says Megan Stobbe

hen it comes to the global breast cancer epidemic, it isn’t enough to save one woman’s life. According to Laurene Clark, who is World Conference on Breast Cancer president and a breast cancer survivor, health workers, governments and international groups need to work together to tackle the epidemic and provide better services for women with the disease.

‘It’s a fact that the incidence of breast cancer is rising in most countries of the world, and in the UK it is now the most commonly occurring cancer,’ says Clark.

The Cancer Research Campaign says there are about 39,500 new cases of breast cancer a year in the UK, and its incidence has risen steadily in the past three decades. It’s been called an international epidemic: breast cancer rates worldwide have increased by 76 per cent in recent years.

This is the epidemic Clark and others want to stop. Delegates to this year’s world conference on breast cancer will be tackling this issue, sharing ideas and developing a plan of action. The conference, which takes place in Victoria, Canada, on 4-8 June, is expected to attract up to 1,200 participants from more than 80 countries.

‘This is a forum where anyone concerned about breast cancer can share ideas and strategies about how best to conquer this epidemic,’ says Clark. ‘We’ll be looking at many issues, including best practices, new technologies and treatments, health policy impacts and support issues.

‘At the end of each conference we publish our findings and make presentations to organisations involved in health policy, including the UN,’ she adds. In 1997, after the first conference, organisers published a global action plan that outlined the ideas and proposals arising from the conference.

A summary of the environmental links to breast cancer, based on that report, was presented to the UN committee on the environment. Clark is quick to point out that not all the comments in the report were endorsed by the conference.

‘The conference is a conduit for ideas. If there is misinformation presented by delegates or speakers, then we need to provide more education on the issue. But we must also be sensitive to ideas that are culturally based. What is standard practice in one part of the world is not accepted in another. Therein lies the need for the forum that the conference provides.’

Before breast cancer can be effectively tackled, several issues need to be dealt with worldwide, such as substantially expanding research to include finding a way of preventing breast cancer altogether.

‘Breast cancer will probably always be with us. We’re interested in finding out how we can dramatically reduce its incidence rate,’ says Clark.

Preventive measures need to be put in place, but the world conference has also identified other issues that need to be addressed. Lack of service provision for women with the disease is one of the most important.

‘The issue of access is a fundamental, worldwide issue,’ says Clark. ‘We need to ensure that advances in technology, education and support in the developed world are available to others as well.’

Diversity is another important factor. This is the need for governments, healthcare providers and others to recognise that a woman’s social and cultural surroundings affect her experience of breast cancer, and her ability to access and understand information about the disease.

In taking a global view of breast cancer, it is essential to consider that the western medical model is only one way of comprehending health. To enable countries to work together to overcome the global epidemic, cultural differences must be recognised and accepted.

‘We need to bridge the gap between different medical philosophies and belief systems to encourage and strengthen international breast cancer networks,’ says Clark. She believes the world conference is an ideal forum for international exchange.

The conference also hopes to inform delegates about new research and treatments. ‘This is a conference where we try to translate research into practical information for both lay people and general physicians,’ Clark explains.

To encourage greater understanding, this year’s conference will feature an international hearing. A panel of health ministers, World Health Organisation officials and other experts will bear witness to the experiences of breast-cancer survivors, advocates and healthcare workers from around the world. Not only will this help people from different cultures understand each other’s experiences, it will also encourage governments to get involved in eradicating breast cancer.

Lack of government policy on breast cancer – along with lack of funding – is a barrier to action in many countries. Without money, there is little that healthcare organisations can do to prevent breast cancer, treat it or support those with the disease. But with the decline in health systems around the world, advocacy groups and survivors are concerned that reversing the increasing incidence of breast cancer may not be a priority.

For more information, visit the conference website at www.worldbreastcancerconf.ca