Cancer prevention

‘Sir’ and ‘Ladies’: Can We Tell You About Cancer?

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On the international front, a brief article I wrote on a cancer education campaign in Ghana: ‘Sir’ and ‘Ladies’: Can We Tell You About Cancer?

The Africa Oxford Cancer Foundation and the European Society for Medical Oncology Developing Countries Task Force launched a five-year pilot program in Ghana to develop and implement cancer-prevention and early-detection programs that can be models for other developing countries.

Afrox1Currently, most Africans do not have access to screening, treatment or palliative care. For instance, Ghana, with a population of 25.9 million, has only two oncology centers and four oncologists. There are no oncology nurses.

Afrox2The pilot program includes the distribution of 13 different posters (like those seen here) to health centers  and the general public. Developed with the support of the Cancer Society of Ghana, the posters can be downloaded for free and used by any organization or individual, and in any country.

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2014/2015 Cancer Today.

Elmer Huerta: A Champion for Prevention

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Dr. Elmer Huerta is the founder of the Cancer Preventiorium, a cancer prevention clinic specifically for Latino immigrants. Since opening its doors in the mid-1990s at the Washington Cancer Institute in Washington, DC, the Preventorium has served close to 33,000 people.

How did the Cancer Preventorium get started?
While Dr. Huerta was at the National Cancer Institute, he started a radio show, Cuidando su Salud (Taking Care of Your Health), and as his show became more popular, he was asked to provide cancer prevention presentations at Latino churches and community centers. In these settings, women frequently shared their frustrations about having to go to one doctor for a Pap test, another for a colorectal cancer screening test and then yet another so their husband could have prostate cancer screening. They wanted everything in one place. Dr. Huerta thought they were on to something—and Washington Hospital agreed. “The interest of the community was so huge,” says Huerta, “we started then and haven’t stopped.”

Read more about the Cancer Preventorium in my interview with Dr. Huertra  in the Winter 2014/2015 Cancer Today.