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Nigeria may record 500,000 cancer cases yearly  

A SCARY picture of the ravages of cancer on Nigerians by the year 2010 was painted by the Minister of Health, Prof. Adenike Grange, yesterday.

According to the minister, as from 2010, about 500,000 Nigerians may suffer from the disease.

The minister stated yesterday during an event to mark the World Cancer Day that government was desirous of raising public awareness on cancer as most Nigerians still did not appreciate the dangers posed by the deadly disease. . . .

Grange identified tobacco smoke as a major cause of cancer as it contains over 2000 chemicals of which more than 40 are carcinogenic.

She added: "Tobacco is the single most important risk factor for non-communicable diseases, including cancers and is the largest preventable cause of cancers in the world. Tobacco is also responsible for over 25 diseases in man, including cancers."

The scary statistics, Grange posited, should serve as a national wake-up call

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AAP Calls for Smoke-Free Environments for World Cancer Day 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and its 60,000 member pediatricians join the International Union Against Cancer in its World Cancer Day initiative Monday, February 4, to promote smoke-free environments for children worldwide.

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• World Cancer Campaign Builds Momentum Globally with International Initiative to Protect Children From Secondhand Smoke 

In the first global initiative of its kind, the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and the International Union Against Cancer (UICC), a global consortium of cancer-fighting organizations, will lead a year-long communication, education and advocacy effort to promote smoke-free environments for children. "I love my smoke-free childhood" will launch today, World Cancer Day. The campaign will encourage parents to avoid smoking at home or in a car; avoid smoking while pregnant or in the vicinity of someone who is pregnant; use a smoke-free daycare; and avoid smoking altogether. The initiative will also incite parents to caution their children to stay away from second-hand smoke and places that allow smoking and teach them that there is no safe level of second-hand smoke.

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I love my smoke-free childhood.
Thematic tagline for the first full-year focus on a cancer-prevention habit endorsed by the World Cancer Campaign.

• Small fire that causes lots of smoke 

Save the children from second-hand smoke and cancer. That is what the World Health Organization (WHO) wants the grown-ups to do today - World Cancer Day. The year-long smoke-free childhood campaign is the first global initiative of its kind.

WHO has joined the International Union Against Cancer (UICC), a global consortium of cancer-fighting organizations, in the initiative and given it a slogan: "I love my smoke-free childhood".

A man ignoring a little girl's presence enjoys a puff in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province. Such acts, say WHO, make children more vulnerable to second-hand smoke. [Asianewsphoto]

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Northern Ireland | Call to end child passive smoking 

The Ulster Cancer Foundation has joined a global campaign to focus on the dangers to children when parents smoke.

"I love my smoke-free childhood," is an initiative promoted across the world by the International Union against Cancer.

The campaign is being launched on Monday, World Cancer Day, and will be a year-long effort.

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He lost his voice but speaks against tobacco 

A. Sharfudeen goes from college to college, talking to hundreds of youths, telling them how tobacco use can lead to cancer. But he cannot speak - at least not without the help of a machine.

A 30-year-old smoking habit took its toll and Sharfudeen's larynx, the voice box in the human body, was destroyed by the disease. Today he communicates with the help of an artificial electro-larynx. . . .

Sharfudeen, 64, is the chosen campaigner in the fight against cancer by the Tobacco Cessation Clinic run by cancer expert Vidubala at the Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai. His message rang clear on Feb 4, observed as World Cancer Day.

Sharfudeen also doubles as the secretary of the Laryngectomee Welfare Association of Tamil Nadu, a body that provides peer support to about 3,000 cancer patients across the state.

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Cancer kills over 400,000 Indians every year 

Over 400,000 Indians die every year from cancer and the disease is growing 11 percent annually - thanks to the widespread tobacco consumption in the country.

The health ministry, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and independent experts believe over 50 percent of the cancer cases stem from tobacco consumption.

'Tobacco is now the number one killer. Unless we curb tobacco consumption, it would be very difficult to reduce a huge mortality rate and the loss of human workforce due to cancer,' Vikas Bajpai, a senior oncologist in the capital, told IANS.

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Half of world's kids are endangered 'passive smokers' 

A plea to parents and other adults not to expose children to tobacco smoke has been issued by the International Union Against Cancer (UICC), whose members - including the Israel Cancer Association (ICA) - are marking International Cancer Awareness Day on Monday.

The only international non-governmental organization dedicated solely to global control of cancer, the UICC says that half of all children around the world are passively exposed to toxic cigarette smoke. . . .

The Health Ministry has not done anything to pass legislation that would make it illegal to smoke in a vehicle where children are passengers - even though some US states and other countries have done so - or to bar cigarette vending machines that are easily accessible to children. . . .

ICA director-general Miri Ziv added that 85% of lung cancer cases are directly due to smoking. "We call on all Israeli families to declare their homes and cars smoke-free." Ziv also urged parents to advise children to keep away from smoke at all times and in all locations.

According to the UICC, the countries with the widest child exposure to tobacco smoke - nearing 100% - are Serbia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Georgia (in the former Soviet Union) and Croatia.

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Cancer cause myths busted by new report 

BREAST implants, mobile phones, deodorant and coffee are unlikely to cause cancer, according to a report designed to ease panic that everything can be carcinogenic.

The new cancer myth-busting report by an Australian specialist assesses the likely risk of 50 known carcinogens and a few old chestnuts to try to put into perspective the risks of contracting the disease.

Smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, deliberate exposure to sunlight and some rare cancer drugs sit in the highest-risk bracket for proved carcinogens. . . .

The research, released today to coincide with World Cancer Day, ranks potential carcinogens into five categories: proven, likely, inferred, unknown or unlikely risk of cancer.

Prof Stewart hoped the report would clarify confusion and help people identify their risk based on exposure to a cancer-causing agent. "For instance, we know that arsenic is carcinogenic," he said.

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Mobile phones, coffee get cancer all-clear  

MOBILE phones, deodorants and coffee are extremely unlikely to cause cancer, according to a new risk report designed to combat urban myths about what causes the disease.

But Australian cancer specialist Professor Brendan Stewart put smoking, drinking alcohol and deliberate exposure to sunlight in the highest risk bracket.

His report is published today in the academic journal Mutation Research Reviews, coinciding with World Cancer Day.

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Save children from tobacco: Governor 

Ahmedabad, February 3 Expressing concern over the rising trend of tobacco consumption among minors, Governor Naval Kishore Sharma made an appeal to the people on the eve of the World Cancer Day to save children from falling prey to tobacco and thus secure their bright future.

In a message to the people of Gujarat, he said that children generally adopt this habit from their elder siblings or parents out of curiosity. Quoting a survey carried out in Delhi, he said the proportion of school children consuming tobacco in any form in the national capital was as high as 90 per cent.

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World Cancer Day: Global action to avert 8 million cancer-related deaths by 2015 

3 FEBRUARY 2006 * GENEVA -- Cancer is a leading cause of death globally: an estimated 7.6 million people died of cancer in 2005 and 84 million people will die in the next 10 years if action is not taken. The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed a global goal of reducing chronic disease death rates by 2% per annum from 2006 to 2015. Achievement of this goal would avert over 8 million of the projected 84 million deaths due to cancer in the next decade. WHO is stepping up its response to meet this target.

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• World Cancer Campaign 2008-2009: World Cancer Day, 4 February 2008 

Around 700 million children - almost half of the world's children - breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke, particularly at home.[1] On 4 February 2008, World Cancer Day will direct a simple message to parents: "Second-hand smoke is a health hazard for you and your family. There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke. Give your child a smoke-free childhood."

Key objectives

1. Raise public awareness through a global media campaign launched by UICC on World Cancer Day 2008 as well as local media coverage together with member organizations adapted for local relevance

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Public urged to avoid smoking near babies 

Doctors recently appealed to the public to avoid smoking near infants as tobacco smoke causes the babies to suffer from respiratory diseases and increases their chance to develop lung cancer.

The health experts made the announcement last week as part of today’s celebration of World Cancer Day with focus on the health hazards of second- hand smoke and its effects to children, especially among newborns.

Dr. Julius Lecciones, executive director of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) and overall coordinator of the local projects of international non-government organization "My Child Matters," illustrated the negative effects of second-hand tobacco smoke among children, including increased coughing, wheezing, and increased propensity to develop bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma attacks, and lung illnesses.

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Global anti-smoking campaign for children 

A GLOBAL campaign to protect children against the dangers of second-hand smoke will be launched tomorrow to mark World Cancer Day.

In the first initiative of its kind, the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) will lead a year-long effort to warn parents that smoking in the home and car can expose their children to chronic health risks. . . .

While Scotland is among a number of countries to have banned smoking in public places, UICC president Dr Franco Cavalli said it was also crucial to educate parents.

"Countries with 100% smoke-free laws should be commended for their legacy to healthier families," he said.

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