Lance Armstrong Foundation and American Cancer Society Announce International Partnership to Fight Global Cancer Burden
* Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release.
AUSTIN, TX, Jun 29 (MARKET WIRE) --
Today the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the American Cancer Society
announced they have formed a first-of-its-kind partnership to empower and
support survivors all over the world and aggressively address the global
cancer burden. As part of its ongoing global commitment to fight cancer,
the Society has become an international collaborating partner for the
LIVESTRONG(R) Global Cancer Summit in Dublin, Ireland in August. The
Society will actively participate in LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign
events at both the Tour de France in July and the Summit, beginning Aug.
24 in Dublin. John R. Seffrin, Ph.D., chief executive officer, American
Cancer Society, will join the U.S. delegation to the Summit and address
the 250 advocates selected from all over the world for their commitments
to cancer control.
"Unity is strength and today, we are thrilled to once more welcome the
American Cancer Society to the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign," said
Doug Ulman, president and chief executive officer, Lance Armstrong
Foundation. "In order to conquer this disease, the cancer community must
join forces with governments, communities and survivors all over the
world. And thanks to the support of the American Cancer Society, and its
decades of experience in working to support survivors and combat cancer,
we are closer to that goal."
"Because of his remarkable athletic accomplishments and compelling cancer
experience, Lance Armstrong has a unique ability to focus the world's
attention on the issue of cancer in ways we cannot do alone," added Dr.
Seffrin. "The American Cancer Society supports patient service and
advocacy programs with our partners in more than 20 countries, and this
newest collaboration with the Lance Armstrong Foundation is a remarkable
opportunity to further our shared mission."
In addition to the Summit partnership, the two organizations will create a
survivor advocacy movement. Beginning with pilot forums in a few select
countries, the movement will focus on survivor empowerment. The goal of
this unique initiative is to develop a comprehensive national call to
action implemented by cancer survivors, organizations and representatives
from the health and government sectors to address a broad range of quality
of life and survivorship issues. The forums are aimed at highlighting
patient care concerns and formulating recommendations that can serve as a
resource for health professionals and authorities in the ongoing effort to
improve patient care and access. They also play an important role in
breaking down the social stigma associated with cancer, highlighting
social and economic issues and revealing cultural differences that may
need to be actively addressed. Patient forums help keep cancer in the
public spotlight, reinforcing the priority accorded to cancer control
strategies. In the long-term, the patient empowerment initiative is
expected to support efforts to address the burden of cancer in each
country and grow into an international survivor advocacy movement.
This partnership marks the third time in the past year that the Society
and LAF have joined together to address the growing global cancer burden,
which takes more lives than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
In September 2008, Dr. Seffrin joined with Lance Armstrong, LAF founder
and chairman, cancer survivor and champion cyclist, when he announced the
Foundation's commitment to making cancer a global priority at the Clinton
Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York. The LAF made this commitment
after its worldwide research, conducted over 18 months, revealed
widespread misconceptions, stigma and lack of awareness associated with
cancer. In response, the LAF established the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer
Campaign to urgently address the burden of cancer worldwide and support
the 28 million people living with cancer around the globe. The LAF
recognized that a global challenge like cancer required a global
movement. And so it began urging world leaders, leading cancer
organizations and cancer survivors to join together by making commitments
to take action in their communities to reduce the burden of cancer.
Last December, the two organizations united with Komen for the Cure and
the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to issue a call to
action following the release of the World Cancer Report, which showed that
the burden of cancer doubled globally between 1975 and 2000, and estimated
that it will double again by 2020 and nearly triple by 2030 without
intervention. As a result of these successful collaborations, the LAF and
the Society are uniting once more to further their shared goals and
empower survivors worldwide.
About the Lance Armstrong Foundation
At the Lance Armstrong Foundation, we fight for the 28 million people
around the world living with cancer today. There can be -- and should be
-- life after cancer for more people. That's why we kick in at the moment
of diagnosis, giving people the resources and support they need to fight
cancer head-on. We find innovative ways to raise awareness, fund research
and end the stigma about cancer that many survivors face. We connect
people and communities to drive social change, and we call for state,
national and world leaders to help fight this disease. Anyone anywhere
can join our fight against cancer. Join us at www.LIVESTRONG.org.
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a
century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a
global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, and with
programs in more than 20 countries, we fight for every birthday threatened
by cancer in communities worldwide. We save lives by helping people stay
well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well
by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding
cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting
back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying
people across the globe to join the fight. As a global leader in cancer
research investment, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do.
To learn more or to get help, and for more information on our global
programs, visit www.cancer.org/international.
Contacts:
Rae Bazzarre
Lance Armstrong Foundation
(512) 279-8367
Email Contact
Andrew Becker
American Cancer Society
(212) 237-3899
Email Contact
Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.
-0-
Comments (0)
This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.



Follow Reuters