For these women, who face at least twice the average risk of developing breast cancer in their 40s, the benefits of routine screening between the ages of 40 and 49 outweigh the risk of false alarms and unnecessary work-ups that might otherwise put them at greater risk than doing nothing, researchers report in the May 1st, 2012 edition of Annals of Internal Medicine.

Of the various recommendations put forth by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in 2009, and the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care in 2011, none generated more controversy than the suggestion that annual mammograms could do more harm than good for most fortysomething women, who are far less likely than older women to get breast cancer. The task forces advised women in their 40s to talk with their doctors and make individualized decisions about whether to get a mammogram every other year at most.

The new research was designed to identify women who could benefit the most from having mammograms early and often.  The researchers who published the study identified a relatively new risk factor — breast density — in the considerations a woman and her physician make as they decide how to manage risk factors for breast cancer.

“The fog is clearing,” said Dr. Diana Petitti, who worked on the 2009 Preventive Services Task Force study. “Personalized breast screening recommendations are better.”

The latest studies take a more tailored to the individual patient and her risks.

Dr. Patricia Ganz, a breast cancer specialist at UCLA, said the studies would help in the development of “user-friendly ways that a primary-care physician can start that conversation” about a woman’s breast cancer risk and what steps she can take to address it. Ganz said the findings underscored the central importance of taking a family history — and of updating it as a woman (and her mother and sisters) age.

Mammography screening for healthy women can reduce breast cancer deaths by as much as 40%.  But too many women are not getting screened.  This year, the Campaign to Control Cancer will be launching the ‘More Screening, Less Cancer’ campaign.  This initiative will  boost awareness of the benefits of screening while reaching out to under screened populations and health professionals across Canada. The C2CC will engage the public, governments, and health professionals and unite Canada with this simple message “More control.  Less cancer.”  Learn more: More Screening, Less Cancer

Last Thursday, Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews joined the message of what doctors, nurses, public health professionals, and cancer groups including C2CC have been saying about cancer control: “Early detection is key”. That’s how you stay healthy; it’s really that simple.

In recent months, The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care launched the ‘Time to Screen’ tool to make screening more accessible. This simple and quick online tool gives Ontarians an introduction to cancer screening without a doctor’s appointment.

The Time to Screen tool assesses your risk based on your age, gender and family history (this is actually the only personal information you’re prompted to divulge). From there, you are guided to specific information about the type(s) of cancer you may be at risk for, and what the screening techniques are for each.

Take 2 minutes and try the Time to Screen tool:

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/cancer/screening/. Of course, among the most important next steps you can take is to schedule a conversation with your doctor or nurse practitioner. For more information, visit the link above, and stay in touch with the Campaign to Control Cancer.

During this time, Ontarians should be asking questions about what Health Care policies are considered in this budget and how these policies will affect our lives. As an organization committed to leading and advising our politicians instead of waiting for them to act, the Campaign to Control Cancer team has asked, “Is the Provincial Government Taking Action on Cancer Control?” We know that many cancer deaths in Ontario are preventable by applying what we know about prevention, screening and treatment. So how can we be more proactive in our quest to control cancer?

This is an exciting time for the Campaign to Control Cancer. We will soon be launching our “More Screening, Less Cancer” campaign and we have already launched “Engaging Emerging Leaders in Cancer Control”. This 2 year project, funded through the Ontario Trillium Foundation is a student driven, campus-based initiative – a project that takes a hard look at the effectiveness of each university’s campus health policies and provides more cancer control advocacy where needed. The C2CC team is taking action in cancer control – so what about our Provincial Government?

After reading the 2012 Provincial Budget, this is what we’ve found out: The government is acknowledging that more screening is necessary in high-risk populations. However, the government has not yet acknowledged that increased screening is needed across the board to all populations. The 2012 Ontario budget tells us on page 25 and 26:

“The government is committed to promoting healthy living and supporting better management of chronic conditions by…providing all Ontarians with access to an online Personalized Cancer Risk Profile that will use medical and family history to measure cancer risk and then link those at higher risk to prevention supports, screening or genetic testing…” (source: Ontario Ministry of Finance 2012 Budget)

As promised during the 2011 General Election platform, the Liberal Government is renewing their commitment to an online Personalized Cancer Risk Profile. The C2CC supports this policy, as it is a step in the right direction. This profile system, if successfully implemented, would use family & medical history to assess individual cancer risk. The rationale is that if you were deemed ‘high-risk’ for cancer, then you would be able to intervene to help reduce risk or be monitored to detect cancers early. Thus, cancer deaths in the high-risk category could be reduced.

The Ontario budget also mentions:

“…continuing to expand comprehensive screening programs for cervical, breast and colorectal cancer. Participants will be notified and reminded when they are due for their next screening.” (source: Ontario Ministry of Finance 2012 Budget)

C2CC strongly supports the government investment in screening reminders from physcians, along with public awareness campaigns. We also want to encourage healthy Ontarians to include conversations about cancer screening as part of their regular health check with their family doctor, dentist or other health care provider.

The C2CC also believes that tax dollars are well-spent in the promotion of existing screening programs. Ontario recently launched a new print ad series to help increase participation rates for all cancer screening programs.

The Ontario Budget, despite its challenging austerity mandate, has acknowledged commitment to effective cancer-control policies. And the Liberal platform on cancer is reflected in this budget. We want to ensure that the Ontario government – and all governments for that matter – understand this simple statement: More appropriate screening means less cancer. We want to stay healthy; we want appropriate screening!

The C2CC will continue monitoring all levels of government throughout Canada to ensure that Canada is doing everything it can to control cancer. In the meantime, please sign up for the C2CC Newsletter and visit back soon for updates on our actions to control cancer. If you are a University student, contact us to find out how you can get involved with our E2C2 campaign on your University campus.

Three-year cancer screening campaign to focus on awareness, education and advocacy

Mississauga, ON., March 19, 2012 – (NYSE: GE) GE Canada today announced a collaboration with the Campaign to Control Cancer (C2CC) to speed the fight against cancer across Canada through a national screening awareness campaign. Over the next three years, GE Canada will work with C2CC to help promote appropriate cancer screening, which can reduce the cancer death rate, and by detecting cancer before signs or symptoms appear, improve treatment effectiveness.

“One in three Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime*,” said Elyse Allan, President & CEO, GE Canada. “Education, awareness and screening are critical in the fight against cancer. It is a disease that affects so many families, colleagues, customers and friends. At GE, we envision the day when cancer is no longer a deadly disease.”

C2CC’s national campaign strategy will come to life on three fronts – public awareness to educate Canadians on the life saving possibilities of screening, health professional outreach to encourage appropriate screening as part of Canadians’ healthcare, and finally through calling for more and better access to population based screening programs for all Canadians.

“A large number of Canadians simply aren’t taking part in cancer screening programs across the country when they need to be,” said Dr. Brent Schacter, Chair of the Campaign Steering Committee, and Vice Chair of the board of directors, C2CC. “Our collaboration with GE Canada is an important step in building partnerships within the business community to help raise awareness and education for Canadians around the importance of cancer screening.

Today’s announcement builds on GE’s healthymagination commitment to create better health for more people by focusing on inadequate access, disparate quality and high costs around the globe. In September of 2011, GE launched a global commitment to help fight cancer by supporting improved care delivery to 10 million patients by 2020, increased access to cancer screening, global partnerships and a $100 million open innovation challenge to find and fund ideas to accelerate detection of breast cancer and enable more personalized treatment. The commitment also included a $1 billion investment over the next five years in cancer R&D programs to expand GE’s suite of advanced technologies and solutions for cancer detection and treatment, beginning with breast cancer.

“At GE Healthcare, we have an exceptional portfolio of product solutions that helps diagnose cancer,” said Peter Robertson, VP & General Manager, GE Healthcare Canada. “When you pair our innovative cancer technologies with C2CC’s national screening campaign, we can help fight cancer in new and meaningful ways, directly with Canadians.”

GE Canada’s business leadership will also help convene a series of corporate breakfast events this year in four cities across the country, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, to engage and educate Canada’s business community on the importance of cancer screening, and how corporate Canada can get involved.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ge.com

In Canada, GE has operations across the country, including major manufacturing, sales and service locations with 7,000 employees.  For more information on GE Canada, please visit www.ge.com/ca.  You can follow GE Canada on twitter and YouTube.

About Healthymagination

Our “healthymagination” vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employees are committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.

About The Campaign to Control Cancer

The C2CC is a national coalition of more than 70 leading cancer organizations and survivors.  C2CC is made up of cancer nurses, doctors, patients, families, advocates, providers, funders and researchers and representatives. The Campaign’s mission is to put everything we know to work to prevent, detect, treat-and-control cancer. For more information on The Campaign to Control Cancer, visit the website at www.controlcancer.ca

As we reflect on the impact cancer has had on millions of people, it’s important to remember that we can each take control of cancer in our own lives. One easy and powerful way to do so is through completing 30 minutes of exercise every day.

Dr. Mike Evans of St. Michael’s Hospital and professor at the University of Toronto, demonstrates that exercise is a proven way to help prevent cancer through his YouTube hit “23 ½ hours.”

Watch Dr. Mike Evans video – “23 ½ hours” and see why he believes he has found the “pill that’s going to help prevent cancer.”

This is an issue that a lot of organizations are facing today. Campaigns that provide individuals with tools and knowledge can be very effective at generating an immediate response, but traditional methods of outreach often have difficulties maintaining long-term change. This is especially concerning in health advocacy, where maintaining good health is something that must be practiced over time. But if effectively disseminating a message is not enough, what else can be done?

One possible answer may be to re-shape the message itself. Rather than taking an exclusively informative approach whereby individuals are planted with (albeit important) information, an inspirational approach can also be considered. If individuals can be shaped into wanting to change for their own reasons, rather than reasons prompted from campaigning efforts, they are more likely to sustain a long-term change in. This, of course, is one of the strongholds of the People vs. Cancer tour. As Stephen Lewis speaks to various student populations across the country, he aims not only to inform on the value of change, but to also inspire change on a personal level. Rather than simply telling you why you should change, the tour has always focused more on telling you why you should want to change.

This idea of placing the responsibility for change on the individuals themselves is something that also seems to be relevant in the world of philanthropy. A recent article published in the Globe and Mail entitled ‘Welcome to the next generation of philanthropy’ provides an extensive look at how important it is to empower individuals to want change, as opposed to simply providing the resources and knowledge (or money) to make a difference. This shows that sustaining long-term change is never an easy task, but a potential solution certainly seems to be in reach.

By Wilson Kwong

“It is beyond belief that we are exporting death. And that we are exporting it willfully and knowledgeably. I don’t understand it. I don’t understand the government in this province and I don’t understand the government of Canada. There is no asbestos anywhere that is safe. None. And it is unimaginable that we are willing to sacrifice lives in developing countries to support a relative handful of jobs in the Canadian economy.”

Stephen Lewis
Speaking at
The People vs. Cancer
Concordia University, Oct. 5th, 2011

The Campaign to Control Cancer joins Stephen Lewis, the NDP of Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Union of Public Employees and thousands of concerned citizens in stating that it is beyond belief that Canada continues to export death, and calling for the federal and provincial/territorial governments to adopt a comprehensive strategy addressing all aspects of the asbestos issue, including legislation for worker safety, supporting the addition of chrysotile asbestos to Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention, and immediately setting a clear timetable for phasing out the use and export of asbestos.
There is no moral, economic, public health or environmental basis for the continued support of the government of Canada for this industry.

Asbestos workers in Quebec know that they are fighting for an industry that has killed members of their own families and will have far-reaching consequences in user countries. For asbestos victims, the agonies of the disease are compounded by the obligation of not speaking out against those responsible for it.

Canada operates one double standard in practice by exporting almost all its asbestos to countries in Asia and Latin America, and another in regard to protection of workers inside the country. Environmental pollution from poor waste management in the mining region and exposures in asbestos-containing buildings is a growing concern in Quebec. High mesothelioma death rates among Quebeckers are partly connected with this pollution and partly with housework-related exposure (wives washing their husband’s work clothes, in particular).

There is no evident economic reason why Canada continues to produce asbestos. A combination of transport costs and significantly higher labour costs put it at a competitive disadvantage on the other markets that are still available. The fact that almost all the production is exported as crude fibers is also at odds with general Canadian mining policy, which is to promote value added by processing raw materials for export. Canada is the main purchaser of asbestos-containing manufactured goods from the United States. The cost of these imports is significantly higher than the total value of asbestos production in Canada (estimated at nearly $119 million Canadian in 2001 and approximately $98 million in 2002).

Canada therefore remains the prime mover in a world pro-asbestos crusade, but takes great care not to practice what it preaches to others – its own asbestos consumption is very low. Over 95% of its output is exported. This must end now.

• The WHO estimates about 125 million people in the world are exposed to asbestos at the workplace.
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that there are asbestos containing materials in most of the nation’s approximately 107,000 primary and secondary schools and 733,000 public and commercial buildings.
• According to WHO estimates, more than 107 000 people die each year from asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis resulting from occupational exposure.
• One in every three deaths from occupational cancer is estimated to be caused by asbestos. In addition, it is estimated that several thousand deaths annually can be attributed to exposure to asbestos in the home.
• Canada and the former Soviet Union accounted for over two-thirds of world asbestos production.
• The most efficient way to eliminate asbestos-related diseases is to:
  • stop the use of all types of asbestos;
  • provide information about solutions for replacing asbestos with safer substitutes and developing economic and technological mechanisms to stimulate its replacement;
  • by taking measures to prevent exposure to asbestos in place and during asbestos removal (abatement)

Stephen Lewis, like many of the students who attended the events or watched the live-stream video, doesn’t understand the inability to come together to address preventable suffering and death from disease

There is something appalling – shocking about our inability to come together sufficiently and overcome the passivity and the rigidity with which these diseases are dealt – cancer in particular.

And on the failure of the federal government to support banning the mining and export of asbestos in Quebec, Lewis had this to say

It is beyond belief that we are exporting death.  And we are exporting it willfully and knowledgeably.  I don’t understand the government.

Stephen Lewis illustrated the potential power of young Canadians, students, advocates and the scientific community to “speak clearly, and unequivocally, boldly and evocatively to the power-brokers of this world, telling them of the risks and the benefits of health policy, and what will happen if they make the wrong choices, stating that “Somehow, along with the science, we need the activism. They are inseparable.”

Joined on the People vs Cancer tour by Dr. Simon Sutcliffe of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, these iconic leaders engaged university audiences in a dialogue about taking control of cancer by exercising personal, political and partnership influence.

Mr. Lewis set the stage for comments from Simon Sutcliffe, illustrating the choices we face as Canadians, in preparing for the huge – but not insurmountable – impact of cancer and other chronic disease on our healthcare system.

“If we want to sustain the healthcare system that enshrines our values, we have 3 choices:

1.   Raise taxes;
2.  Take it out of education, social services, transportation or other publicly-funded services;
3.  Rethink the way we use the system – rethink it so that we no longer make it responsible for acute care, illness-based care, facility-based care, technology-driven care.

The burden of cancer is huge and it is not insurmountable.  The issue we face is whether we are prepared to make some choices that will bring it under control.”

At each of the universities, academic leaders described innovative programs targeting prevention, wellness, public engagement, knowledge transfer  – The Center for Student Success at the University of Calgary http://www.ucalgary.ca/ssc/ , the Perform Center at Concordia http://performcentre.concordia.ca/en/  the McMaster Health Information Research Unit/Program in Evidence-based Care – http://hiru.mcmaster.ca/hiru/

Beyond the opportunities for knowledge transfer and primary prevention, Sanofi Aventis CEO, Hugh O’Neill – the national tour sponsor – talked about the need for new business models and innovative public private partnerships that leverage resources and rebuild public trust.  O’Neill recognized that the pharmaceutical sector has lost public confidence as the industry shifted from a focus on improved health outcomes, to improving shareholder interests.  In future, sustaining publicly funded healthcare will demand greater accountability, transparency and evidence of the impact of interventions.

We try never to forget that medicine is for the people. It is not for the profits. The profits follow, and if we have remembered that, they have never failed to appear. The better we have remembered it, the larger they have been.

— George Merck

At each university, student leaders spoke passionately about the profound personal impact cancer had played in their lives – through the loss of a beloved mother, supporting a childhood friend to face the end of life at 19, and by bringing life-saving, inexpensive cervical cancer screening and prevention programs to women in Africa.

The young Canadians who participated in the People Vs Cancer events are a powerful voice and engaging them in the development and implementation of cancer control initiatives, builds leadership capacity for the future, but also leverages current credibility with peers and community members.

We want to offer our thanks once again to the young Canadians who joined Stephen Lewis, Simon Sutcliffe and Hugh O’Neil in the 2011 national dialogue on cancer – The People vs. Cancer.

• Anthony Hunt, student in the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University.  Anthony lost his mother to breast cancer in May, 2011.
• Dylan Jones, student at the University of Calgary in Development Studies and Anthropology. Dylan Jones lost his life-long best friend, Daniel Olesen, to osteosarcoma at just 19 years of age.  Dylan is currently the University of Calgary Students’ Union president.
• Dr. Joda Kuk recently completed his undergraduate science degree and medical doctorate at McMaster University.  Joda is the founder and chair of Road to Care, a registered Canadian charity that helps patients with cervical cancer access curative treatment in Uganda.
• Wilson Kwong, first year medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario.  Wilson is undertaking a grassroots campaign to mobilize graduate students who work in the area of cancer and/or disease prevention to play an active role through social media and online networking, promoting cancer prevention among students
• Komal Minhas is a 4^th year student at Carleton University in Ottawa, studying, Journalism, Human Rights and Economics. Komal is leading a student movement at Carleton to increase awareness about cancer as a global issue and will lead one of the pilot centers for the Engaging Emerging Leaders in Cancer Control project.
• Megan O’Connor, fourth year student in Honors Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior program at McMaster. President, McMaster Student Cancer Society, one of the pilot centers for the Engaging Emerging Leaders in Cancer Control project.
• Lauren Webber, 2011 graduate of the University of Calgary, past president of the University of Calgary, Student’s Union.  Lauren lost her mother Heather to cancer in 2010.  She is currently the Campus Relations Coordinator for Gallivan & Associates Student Networks and a volunteer leader with C2CC.

These young Canadians have demonstrated capacity as change-makers, to raise awareness, support policy development, mobilize change and increase healthier norms and behaviours across their life spans.  They are making a difference.

“We can make a quantum difference in the lives people lead.”

Stephen Lewis, People vs. Cancer tour, Concordia University, Oct. 2011

What we learned:

The People vs. Cancer tour again heard the insights, experiences, and struggles that illustrate why it’s no wonder that Canadians identify cancer as their top health concern.

Or why young Canadians express such frustration with the competing, confusing messages and lack of progress in preventing cancer.

Canada has 1,498 Canadian charities that have the word cancer in their general description of services.  Of these organizations, 278 focus specifically on cancer. These 278 organizations received donations and other fundraising revenue of $614 million plus $1.3 billion in government grants.

Yet, despite the vast number of cancer organizations, the funding investments, and all that is known about the causes of cancer, too many Canadians are largely unaware of the modifiable risks, the opportunities for screening and early detection and are not living by the guidelines for prevention.

Over 30% of cancer deaths in Canada may be attributed to poor nutrition and fitness levels.

Over half of Canadians do not eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, 48% of the population is physically inactive, 59% of Canadians are obese or overweight, and 37% of Canadians over the age of 15 are frequent consumers of alcohol. As well, despite the significant reduction from the strong anti-tobacco push, 17% of Canadians over the age of 15 still smoke.

Although young adults are at a low risk of developing cancer, youth between the ages of 18 and 24 face serious and systemic health concerns.  Health challenges within the student population identified in the 2005 Environmental Scan on Young Adults and Health and Learning prepared by the Association of Canadian Community Colleges include: drug abuse; alcohol consumption; smoking; nutrition; mental health including suicidal thoughts, stress and fatigue; sexuality, including sexually transmitted diseases and contraception.  Additional studies report that the priority health concerns for the college-aged client include obesity, nutritional inadequacy, lack of physical activity and binge drinking.

We know that environmental factors, healthy eating, active lifestyle, alcohol use and tobacco use/exposure influence the risk of cancer and other chronic disease.

Modifiable risk factors for young adults include:

• Young adults and smoking: Young adults between the age of 20 and 34 constitute the age group with the highest percentage of smokers. This is in fact the age when the majority of people become addicted to smoking.
• Young adults and alcohol and substance abuse: In terms of alcohol consumption, the young adult age group also has the highest number of frequent heavy drinkers, in particular for those living outside the home.
• Community belonging, integration and support: People’s sense of community belonging is recognized as a determinant of health and recent results from the Canadian Community Health Survey confirmed that young adults is the age group reporting the weakest sense of community belonging.

• Physical activity: Participation in physical activity is still relatively high for the young adult age group, but does begin to drop off between adolescence and midlife

through to the senior years.

• Young adults eating and weight control habits: Almost one third of young adults fall within the overweight range and 11 percent within the obese range. There is clearly a role for postsecondary institutions to improve the health literacy of young adults related to healthy eating habits, nutrition and eating disorders.
• UV exposure: Indoor tanning is a common practice in young adults.  Indoor tanning before age 35 raises the risk of melanoma by 75 percent and the World Health Organization added tanning beds to its Group 1 List of cancer causing substances (the same category as cigarettes and asbestos). Skin cancer is now one of the fasted growing types of cancer.

Supporting young adult driven approaches which include reducing exposure to tobacco,increasing participation in sports and physical activities and improved nutrition with a view to promoting healthy habits and lifestyles would help address student concerns in the immediate timeframe and prevent more chronic illnesses in adulthood.

What’s next: Applying what we know:

 In response to what we heard from participants in the People Vs. Cancer tours in 2010 and 2011, and through consultations with our member organizations, elected officials and senior public servants, and building on our strengths and resources, the C2CC has identified priorities and developed our 2012-2014 campaigns.

Recognizing that:

• Over 30% of cancer deaths in Canada are attributed to poor nutrition and fitness levels
• If screening were available to catch all cancers in the localized stage, and  cancer screening were an automatic part of Canadians healthcare behaviour, mortality rates over a 5-year time period would decrease 48%
• Within the post secondary education system we have a captive audience that is ready to be inspired for change.

C2CC will launch 2 campaigns in 2012-2015:

1. E2C2 – Engaging Emerging Leaders in Cancer Control:
   1. Young adulthood is recognized as a critical transition stage when young men and women begin to live independently of their family and start making decisions and adopting health behaviours, which can significantly impact on their wellbeing.  The period of college/university life often brings significant changes to physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. Academic pressure, socialization to university life, and new found control over personal health care decisions all impact one’s health.
2. National Integrated Cancer Screening Awareness Camping – increasing participation in cancer screening programs, especially among seldom screened and never screened Canadians.
   1. For most of the major cancer types, detecting the cancer in the early stages has a dramatic impact on chances of survival. The success of advocacy and education in promoting recommended screening protocols can be measured by the change in percentage of the target population that is screened. There is room for improvement. For instance, the combination of fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) and colonoscopies are the primary driver of reduced colorectal cancer mortality; however, only 40% of Canadians over the age of 50 report having a FOBT in the past two years or colonoscopy in the past five years, ranging from 28% in Quebec to 53% in Manitoba.154 If colorectal cancer screening increased to 80% by 2013, it would save approximately 32,000 lives between 2013- 2030 that would otherwise have been lost to colorectal cancer. This is an opportunity for C2CC to advocate the government for consistent screening guidelines and implementation, Likewise, proven screening methods need to be made broadly available and Canadians need to be educated about the need to take advantage of available screening.

To learn more about these and other campaigns, please contact Pat Kelly at pk@c2cc.ca .  We welcome your feedback and will be back with more on our launch plans shortly!

“If we want our Canadian healthcare system to reflect our values we need to be informed, become engaged as citizens, and make our opinions known to decision-makers.”

Dr. Simon Sutcliffe, Chair

Canadian Partnership Against Cancer

As we travelled across Canada with the People vs. Cancer this year and last, we’ve had a chance to hear feedback from students and to share some learning’s with you. Here’s a short list of Lessons Learned on the road with Stephen and Simon:

Lesson #1: When mobilizing for change, it’s not what you say – it’s how you make people feel.

People want to feel inspired, confident, energized, hopeful, No one does this better than Stephen Lewis. He is no longer the UN secretary general’s special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, but his popular influence has never been greater. His skills as an orator and his ability to read the mood of a crowd and mirror back the deeper human spirit, was never more evident than in the eulogy he gave for Jack Layton illuminating with grace and humour a life of service, a life well-lived and well-loved. Stephen Lewis expressed the gratitude felt by many Canadians and we are deeply grateful for his gift to the Layton family and our country.

At 70+, Mr. Lewis has been called a superstar to young Canadians because of his passion and the quickness of his mind. Stephen Lewis, like many of the students who attended the events or watched the live-stream video, (insert link to video with clip of Stephen Lewis) dosen’t understand how people can allow themselves the luxury of despair as a reaction to preventable illness, suffering and disease. He wants governments and global agencies like the UN and WHO to get serious about taking action, measuring progress against cancer, NCDs, HIV/AIDs – and sadly still – to take seriously the gender gap as a reason for lack of progress and the urgent need to address the role of women in positions of power and influence.

Lesson #2: It’s not enough to inspire – people want a clear “Case for support”, evidence for what the right action might be, a way to make a contribution and a sense their contribution will matter.

Simon Sutcliffe made the case for universities to take up the challenge of ensuring that learning institutions be not only a place where knowledge is generated, but a place where we build capacity to make change happen – to make research relevant, to build capacity for sustainable partnerships and to make advances move from the bench to the bedside and into our communities at the speed of Twitter. Dr. Sutcliffe is himself a pioneer in making change happen within cancer systems, having mobilized cancer professionals, patients, providers and governments to develop and implement Canada’s national strategy for cancer control and now engaging the international community in knowledge exchange and application in developing nations.

Lesson #3: Last lesson and probably the most important one – give clear direction for people to take action.

Students said The People vs. Cancer tour was a call to action, but too many students left feeling like they didn’t know what to do next. This is especially relevant because the health challenges of university students include: drug abuse; alcohol consumption including binge drinking; smoking; nutrition and physical activity; mental health including suicidal thoughts, stress and fatigue; sexuality, including sexually transmitted diseases and contraception. Many of these are modifiable risk factors for cancer.

In response to what Komal Minhas and her colleagues from Carleton University in Ottawa heard at the People vs Cancer tour in 2010, Carleton students are establishing a cancer prevention resource center. Students from Carleton, U of Toronto, McMaster, Queens, and Thunder Bay were so inspired by The people vs. Cancer tour last year, they have worked with C2CC on a project entitled – Engaging Emerging Leaders in Cancer Control in Ontario (E2C2).

Take control: take action:

While C2CC is gearing up for the E2C2 campaign, take a look at some of the innovative, cancer campaigns that target young adult audiences along with ideas for taking action. If you are interested in developing a cancer campaign on your campus, please contact your student health services office, campus health promotion office, the Student Service Leanring Center at your college or university or you can contact the C2CC directly.

Here are a few current initiatives and campaigns:

Tobacco:

Truth campaign

The program set out to drive a wedge between the tobacco industry’s advertising and a youth audience. The program not only assembled a team of advertising and public relations firms to develop the marketing portion of the campaign, but also directly polled youth. From this emerged the campaign concept of a youth movement against tobacco companies promoted through grassroots advocacy and a youth-driven advertising campaign.

E_BUTT

Education Bringing Youth Tobacco Truths (E-BUTT) is a Canadian student group devoted to terminating the financial relationship between the tobacco industry and academia. The mandate is to lobby Canadian post-secondary institutions to implement policies forbidding the purchase of stocks or acceptance of research grants and donations from Big Tobacco.

Colon Cancer Screening:

Tag2Nag

In an effort to spread the message of the importance of colon cancer screening, the American Cancer Society launched an innovative social media campaign called Tag2Nag. The campaign allows Facebook users to encourage their friends and family to get recommended colon cancer screenings by tagging them in images that feature prevention messaging. The campaign uses technology and humor as avenues to raise awareness about a sometimes uncomfortable but potentially life-saving topic. If all adults 50 and older were screened for colon cancer, the death rate from this disease would be cut in half.

Nutrition/Food security:

MealExchange

Meal Exchange is a national student-founded, youth-driven, registered charity organized to address local hunger by mobilizing the talent and passion of students. Since 1993, programs have been run in over 75 communities across Canada and generated $3M in donations of food and funds.

Physical Activity:

PHE Canada

PHE Canada has specific objectives for program development that relate to the delivery and support of quality physical and health education in the school setting at the elementary, middle, secondary and post secondary level:

• To help establish quality physical and health education programs.
• To help children and youth learn the importance of physical activity and healthy eating, and make positive healthy lifestyle choices.
• To work with a multitude of partners to advance our message and to provide more opportunities to be physically active.
• To promote school curricular programming as the ideal, most accessible and equitable intervention for reaching children and youth to develop the attitudes, skills and habits that support active, healthy living.

Skin Cancer:

Skin Cancer

Indoor tanning before age 35 raises the risk of melanoma by 75 percent and the World Health Organization added tanning beds to its Group 1 List of cancer causing substances (the same category as cigarettes)

The US-based tanning bed industry lobby group, the Indoor Tanning Association claims it’s a decision that should be left to a teen’s parents, releasing a statement that read: “If such a law were to pass, a 17-year-old could drive a car, get married, have children, go off to college, join the military and not be allowed to suntan indoors.”Said 17-year-old could still watch “Jersey Shore” — or any MTV programming, for that matter — which we think should be convincing enough to stay out of the bronzing booth.

Sex & Oral cancer:

Oral cancer foundation

A prolonged sore throat once was considered a cancer worry mainly for smokers and drinkers. Today there’s another risk: A sexually transmitted virus is fueling a rise in oral cancer. The HPV virus is best known for causing cervical cancer. But it can cause cancer in the upper throat, too, and a new study says HPV-positive tumors now account for a majority of these cases of what is called oropharyngeal cancer. Oral cancer has always been a bigger threat to men than women – women account for only about 1 in 4 cases, and their incidence is holding steady while men’s is rising.