Ireland's first Cancer Week coming September 15-21 2014

The Irish Cancer Society and Trinity College Dublin have teamed up to hold Ireland’s first Cancer Week which will run from September 15th – 21st, 2014. The focus of the week is “Living with Cancer”. A number of events will bring together national and international clinical and scientific leaders and cancer survivorship experts to discuss improvements in cancer treatments as well as tackling the physical and emotional consequences that a cancer diagnosis and treatment can bring.

The aim of the week is to highlight the increasing rates of cancer survivorship and how more people are living well with, and beyond, cancer. Clinicians, scientists and cancer survivorship experts will explain how despite rising cancer cases, advances in the early detection and treatment of cancer are changing the landscape for those with a cancer diagnosis. Over 60%* of people in Ireland survive for five years or longer after a cancer diagnosis and go on to live a normal and healthy life.

A series of events will take place across Cancer Week Ireland including:

• World Lymphoma Awareness Day – Monday 15th September.
   
• Living with Cancer in the 21st Century – 9th International Cancer Conference Trinity College Dublin – Wednesday 17th & Thursday 18th September.
   
• Burkitt Medal Award and Lecture – Dr John Ziegler, Founding Director of Global Health Sciences Graduate Program, University of Californa, San Francisco – ‘Burkitt’s lymphoma – from a small path to a superhighway’, Trinity College Dublin, Wednesday 17th September.
   
• Mouth, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Day – Nationwide - Wednesday 17th September.
   
• Cancer Survivorship Research Day – Aviva Stadium Dublin – Thursday 18th September.
   
• Living Well With Cancer – Irish Cancer Society’s National Conference for Cancer Survivorship 2014 – Aviva Stadium Dublin – Friday 19th September & Saturday 20th September.

Olwyn Ryan, Patient Support Manager at the Irish Cancer Society said: “There are more than 134,000 people living with cancer in Ireland and there is a growing need to support patients and those close to them to make the necessary adjustments in order to live as well as they can following a cancer diagnosis and treatment. As part of Cancer Week the Irish Cancer Society will hold a free conference for cancer survivors and their families entitled Living Well with Cancer to look at and address the needs of cancer survivors across the country. The two-day event which will run on September 19th and 20th at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, will see up to 800 cancer survivors in attendance.

“The transition from cancer patient to cancer survivor can be difficult for those on a cancer journey. While many people adapt well, others experience problems in adjusting to life after a cancer diagnosis. Access to information and support to deal with issues such as fear of the cancer coming back, financial strain and long term side effects of treatment is vital.”

Speaking about the 9th International Cancer Conference being organised by Trinity, Professor John Reynolds, Professor of Surgery in Trinity’s School of Medicine, said: “‘Living with Cancer in the 21st Century’ will shine a light on the major advances that have been made through cutting edge bench to bedside cancer research over the last decade, as well as exciting new vistas. Cancer prevention, with a particular focus on lifestyle, will also be a major theme. High-quality cancer research is taking place in Ireland, much of it linked through major national and international collaborative networks, and some selected original research studies will also be presented.”

The conference should appeal to scientists working in cancer, cancer clinicians, health professionals, clinical nurse specialists, allied health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, policy makers and researchers, and will feature some of the leading national and international lights in cancer research and clinical practice with sessions on Immunology and Lifestyle, Drug Discovery, Cancer and the Environment, Major Therapeutic Advances, Emerging Challenges for Childhood Cancer Survivors and State of the Art Planning for Cancer Services.

Regius Professor Owen Smith, Professor of Haematology in Trinity’s School of Medicine and Consultant Paediatric Haematologist at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin said: “The treatment of children and young people with cancer is an area that has shown enormous progress over the past 50 years. In developed countries the overall survival rates now approach 80% at 5 years from diagnosis and most of these young people will become long-term survivors.

“Recently published clinical trials in children and adolescents have shown that it is now possible to cure significant numbers of children and adolescents with cancer with less intensive therapy and thus avoid important late effects in long term survivors. Further progress in curing cancer over the next decade will only be realised through highly collaborative basic scientific research in terms of individual cancer mutation screening and sequencing and the rigorous clinical and correlative laboratory testing of new anti-cancer agents.”