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Wafik S. El-Deiry: WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative – Breast cancer awareness month

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Oct 8, 2024, 14:48

Wafik S. El-Deiry: WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative – Breast cancer awareness month

The theme “No One Should Face Breast Cancer Alone” highlights the urgent need for community support and awareness in combating breast cancer, which affects approximately 2.3 million people globally each year. It accounts for one in eight cancer cases and significantly impacts younger populations, especially in resource-constrained settings where 70% of deaths occur due to barriers to healthcare access and low awareness. In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI), aiming to reduce mortality rates by 2.5% annually by 2040 through early detection, timely diagnosis, and comprehensive care.

Breast Cancer

Key Objectives for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) in October:

Raise Awareness: Promote advocacy and behavior change to increase screening uptake, particularly in low-resource areas.
Facilitate Knowledge Sharing: Create platforms for disseminating breast cancer information and fostering partnerships.
Support GBCI Adoption: Encourage countries to implement the GBCI framework focusing on early detection and comprehensive care.
Promote Patient Support: Highlight the importance of patient-centered care and address disparities in access to treatment.

Participants

“WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative: Breast cancer awareness month.

Theme: No-one should face breast cancer alone.”

Read here.

Wafik S. El-Deiry, MD, PhD, FACP, FRSM, is the Associate Dean for Oncologic Sciences at the Warren Alpert Medical School and Director of the Legorreta Cancer Center Brown University and Director of the Joint Program in Cancer Biology at Brown University and affiliated hospitals. He is the Editor in Chief at Oncotarget. Dr. El-Deiry discovered p21(WAF1) as a p53 target gene, cell cycle inhibitor, and tumor suppressor that explained the mammalian cell stress response. Dr. El-Deiry’s research is focused on mechanisms of therapy resistance with major efforts in drug discovery and development.