The UICC is calling for support from member organisations to sign a letter to the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, requesting that the issues surrounding cervical cancer in women and endemic childhood cancers be included on the agenda of the meeting of the Commonwealth Health Ministers in May 2017. 

This letter follows the most recent UICC congress in Paris, at which the burden of womens and childhood cancers were discussed as having significant impact on nations, communities and families.

As the letter, signed by ecancer Editor in Chief Prof Gordon McVie, highlights, “The health of women and children is of paramount importance for the welfare and health of the populations of Commonwealth member states… Cervical cancer is either the leading or the second most frequent female cancer in many of the less wealthy Commonwealth countries. It is also the easiest and least expensive of all cancers to potentially prevent and detect - and the most likely to be cured if detected early with consequent reductions in mortality rates in women.”

Cancer control will feature as an agenda item a the January 2017 WHO executive board, and the subsequent May 2017 World Health Assembly.

As such, the UICC is calling for considerations towards cervical and childhood cancers to be considered, with the goal of a resolution to

• establish core disciplines suitable for local, national and global settings
• unite existing commitments from WHA resolutions on cancer, including palliative care and access to surgery and medicines
• promote the opportunities for integrated care with existing health frameworks
• encourage international collaboration

The UICC advocacy team can be contacted here, and more information is available through the UICC site here.

Source: UICC