Schedule 2022

India has 25% of the world cervical cancer burden. Hence, India's cervical cancer control initiatives would have a high impact at a global stage and accelerate the WHO cervical cancer elimination initiative. Unfortunately, HPV vaccination has not yet been introduced in the national immunization programme of India even though the country has huge potentials to produce indigenous vaccines and is leading some of the ground-breaking studies. Given the global inequity of the HPV vaccines coverage due to shortage of supply and high costs, the evidence from two studies being conducted in India in collaboration with International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has huge potential to make HPV vaccination affordable and mitigate the supply crisis and also motivate Indian policy-makers. In this session, we present the latest data from 1) the cohort study evaluating efficacy of a single dose of quadrivalent HPV vaccine in 10-18 year old girls beyond 10 years post-vaccination and 2) phase II/III randomized trial to evaluate new quadrivalent vaccine produced by Serum Institute of India (SII) in 9-25 year old males and females.

Building cancer centres capacity has been a primary focus for increasing access to cancer services with major recent investments from governments, partners, and banks. Increased availability of cancer centres has been associated with reduction in cancer mortality but also risks worsening inequalities for vulnerable populations. The aim of this session is to understand the decision-making process in when, where, and how to develop cancer centres and key considerations for the feasibility assessment, implementation, and monitoring of services offered through cancer centres. The purpose is to present the trade-off in building cancer centres and the need to balance centralization of services with an integrated, people-centred approach as part of health system strengthening (World Cancer Declaration, target 1).

Tobacco smoking is the leading preventable cause of cancer worldwide; reducing tobacco consumption is a key target in the UICC World Cancer Declaration. The World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is a comprehensive, evidence-based framework for evidence-based priorities in tobacco control for preventing tobacco-caused cancers, yet progress on implementation has been slow for some priorities as a result of tobacco industry interference and distractions caused by aggressive lobbying for supposed harm-reduced products such as e-cigarettes. The aim and purpose of this session is to highlight how FCTC priority actions have worked in some countries, the role of advocacy, and to facilitate a discussion on how the evidence, not commercial interests and lobbyists promoting low-value interventions, can drive outcomes.

The Regional Meetings are dedicated platforms for UICC Members to connect and share experiences. These meetings will also offer the opportunity to explore further collaborations according to the specific needs in each one of the six UICC regions. This year, the overarching theme will be on equity and UHC, which translates differently in each region, with testimonies from members in the region.

Breast and cervical cancer are the most prevalent cancers among women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and are the leading causes of cancer death. Cervical cancer can be prevented through vaccination and screening for HPV or pre-malignant lesions, and breast cancer is highly treatable when diagnosed early. There is widespread interest in integrated approaches to cervical cancer screening and breast cancer early detection. Combining delivery of these 2 health services could increase reach, access, and efficiency of these services for women in LMICs. However, optimal strategies for how to integrate these 2 services have not been well-described and there are a number of potential challenges and pitfalls that could hinder successful implementation. In this session, we will describe experiences with integrated approaches to breast and cervical cancer control from 3 different countries. We aim to highlight lessons learned and recommendations for policy, practice, and future implementation research.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had important repercussions for cancer control around the world. Pandemic restrictions resulted in the cancellation and delay of cancer treatment, such as the cancellation of surgeries, reduced radiotherapy, and limitations on chemotherapy treatments. The interruption of vaccination and screening programmes, as well as people’s concerns about visiting a heath provider to seek a consultation for suspicious signs and symptoms, has resulted in later-stage cancer diagnoses.   

While the crisis has highlighted the structural weaknesses of many health systems and magnified existing inequalities in health outcomes, it has also accelerated key trends that may shape healthcare and public health in the years ahead- such as the use of digital health and information technology, and the development of a global mechanism for pandemic preparedness. This policy dialogue will focus on some of the key implications of COVID 19 response and recovery for cancer prevention and control, and what policy actions may help shape stronger, more equitable and resilient cancer services. The discussion will look towards how we can build these measures into ongoing and future pandemic preparedness and response plans at global, regional and national levels.

The global smoking prevalence is decreasing since few years thanks to the implementation of a suite of cost-effective measures such as smoke-free places, increase taxation or ban on tobacco advertising. However, there are still 1.3 billion smokers in the world and 8 million people die every year (including 2,5 million cancer deaths) due to direct and indirect tobacco consumption. In an effort to accelerate the decrease of tobacco consumption several countries are developing comprehensive strategies to address this issue.

The flagship session will convene high-level country representatives as well as a broad representation of health and tobacco control stakeholders, who will present and discuss the generational ban of tobacco as a key legislative and policy measure that will make the next generation, the first tobacco-free generation.