Barbara Ewals, Chief Executive Officer at SIOG, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Congratulations to our SIOG NAHS Chair Dr. Kristen Haase and SIOG member Prof. Shabbir Alibhai
Their recent article, “Leading risk factor for cancer revealed – and it’s not smoking, alcohol or the sun”, on The Independent struck a deep chord with me.
It brings clarity to an issue that continues to puzzle me:
Ageing is still not listed as a risk factor for cancer by the World Health Organization or the European Commission.
This was first pointed out to me by Malvika Vyas (with thanks to uber connector Dr. Sushmita Sen for the introduction), and I still don’t have a convincing explanation for why ageing is overlooked.
Yes, we cannot “prevent” ageing in the same way we can modify smoking or alcohol use.
But we can shape healthier ageing — through policy interventions, earlier detection, better screening, and more age-responsive care pathways.
Kristen and Shabbir articulate this reality beautifully. Their work reinforces what we at SIOG know so well:
Ageing is the strongest risk factor for cancer, and acknowledging this openly is essential if we want cancer control strategies that reflect the world we actually live in.
For me, this is the true calling of SIOG – International Society of Geriatric Oncology :
- Ageing must be recognised as the preeminent cancer risk factor, and
- it must be included in all global cancer control frameworks.
SIOG is uniquely positioned to lead this conversation. Kristen and Shabbir’s article is an important step in bringing this truth to a wider audience — and I am so proud to see our members driving this change.
Read their article here.”
More posts featuring Barbara Ewals on OncoDaily.