9/3/2007
France Sets Up An International Oncology Cooperation Network.

The charter for international cooperation in the field of oncology was signed on March 7 by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French Ministry for Health and Solidarity, the president of the French National Cancer Institute (INCa ) and each of the institutional actors concerned (Cancer Without Borders, the National League Against Cancer, Physicien Medical sans Frontieres, Alliance mondiale contre le Cancer—AMCCand the International Union Against Cancer).

The charter sets out the objectives, organization and means of operating of an international oncology cooperation network.

After several centuries dominated by the scourge of major pandemics and transmittable diseases, exposure to new risk factors linked to food, the environment, and individual and collective behavior is contributing to what is called “the epidemiological transition.”  This phenomenon, initially seen in the most developed countries, has reached emerging countries and now concerns the majority of populations, including in developing countries.  Among the 8.5 million new cases of cancer in the world, nearly 60% concern the emerging countries.

The fight against cancer is a global public health issue and demands a multidisciplinary approach requiring the mobilization of large numbers of professionals in different walks of life.  France has in this area a vast array of services offered by statutory bodies,  public and private, which serve as an international reference.

Grants from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and INCa will make it possible to continue to offer expertise and training in oncology.  Among the actions already being implemented five Palestinian oncologists are currently on a theoretical and practical training course at the oncology center of the southwest (CHU) in Toulouse.