The 2010 World Cancer Congress (WCC) will be held from Aug 18 to 21 at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, a news conference was told yesterday (July 15).
A "Shenzhen Declaration" the motto for this year's WCC, was intended to update international standards in the fight against cancer.
Organized by International Union Against Cancer, this year's WCC is also the first WCC to be held in China and is expected to attract 4,000 to 6,000 participants.
The cancer treatment category included nine exclusive sessions led by Chinese experts organized by the Chinese Medical Association (CMA) and Chinese Anti-Cancer Association.
The summit will also work on supporting the implementation of the "World Cancer Declaration" a global call to action detailing 11 targets that, if achieved, would help reverse the cancer epidemic by 2020.
"The congress is important because the level of China's cancer prevention and treatment is below the world average," said Hao Xishan, chairman of 2010 WCC and vice chief of CMA.
"The 5-year survival rate in China is 50 percent while in a developed country it is 70 percent," Hao said. "In 2009, 20 percent of the world's cancer patients diagnosed were Chinese but China accounted for only 12.7 percent of survivals."
"In the past three decades, the incidence of cancer grew annually by 3 to 5 percent and cancer is the No. 1 killer in the country," said Hao. "We can learn from others because developed countries experienced this trend several decades ago."
"The WCC is not a meeting for professionals and experts only," said Liu Zhi, director of International Department of CMA. "It is more of a meeting for the whole of society."
"Scientific research showed only 7 percent of the world's population has proper health knowledge," he said. "Fighting against cancer is everyone s business."
The WCC is a biannual event that brings together the world's leaders in the fight to control cancer. It is sponsored by the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) and this year is its 21st session.
The UICC is the only non-government organization dedicated exclusively to the global control of cancer. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the UICC unites more than 280 member organizations in over 90 countries and regions.
(By Tina Chen)
