[...]... at the University of Tampere His main research interests include cancer screening and the health effects of radiation He is the principal investigator of the Finnish randomized trial on prostate cancer screening and is one of the coordinators of the European Randomized Study of Prostate Cancer Screening (ERSPC) He has published about 180 scientific articles xviii Responding to the challenge of cancer. .. understanding of the causes of cancer means that primary prevention is often possible – by reducing or eliminating the risk of developing the disease One of the most important medical discoveries of the twentieth century was the role of tobacco smoking as a cause of cancers of the lung and various other organs The consequences of implementing antismoking measures are now becoming apparent – rapid declines in. .. aims to identify the causes of cancer and to develop better strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure This book represents an attempt to bring together the latest information and analysis to assist in meeting the challenge of cancer Some of the most eminent European experts in cancer control have contributed to the book Many of them will also contribute to the EU Cancer Conference in Slovenia,... member of the Board of the European Cancer Prevention Organization (ECP); the French National Cancer Institute (INCa); the Board of the Latin American Association of Cancer Registries and the Committee on Cancer Screening (Ministry of Health, INCa) He collaborates in the French network of cancer registries and the EUROCARE project Professor Faivre is also Chair of the Cancerology Federation of University... reduce cancer incidence and mortality, to improve cancer outcomes, to reduce health gaps in the prevention and control of cancer between and within EU Member States and to increase the benefits for cancer patients ˆ Zofija Mazej Kukovic Minister of Health, Republic of Slovenia Acknowledgements Responding to the Challenge of Cancer in Europe has been written within the Fighting Against Cancer Today (FACT)... current burden of cancer and highlighting the dominant cancers that may therefore be considered as the main priorities for prevention The results are interpreted in the light of current understanding of the causes of cancer and the prospects for prevention The chapter ends with an estimate of the cancer burden in Europe circa 2020, derived from the projection of national cancer incidence rates to the forecasted... reviewed The challenges facing cancer researchers in Europe today are examined, along with the research agenda and the crucial contribution that can be made by Europe- wide collaborative research The information required to track changes in incidence, outcomes and responses to cancer in the EU is reviewed, along with the optimal indicators for assessing progress against cancer in Europe, including the benefits... testicular cancers) The Slovenian initiative on cancer The Government of Slovenia assumes the Presidency of the EU in the first half of 2008 Its decision to focus on cancer provides an important opportunity to reassess the public health challenge of cancer, and to suggest how policy-makers in Europe should respond to it The goal of the Slovenian Presidency initiative is to close the gaps in cancer prevention,... umbrella Fighting Against Cancer Today (FACT) FACT is Responding to the challenge of cancer in Europe 5 co-funded by the Government of Slovenia and the European Commission’s Health and Consumer Protection Directorate-General, with additional support from the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies The book provides an overview of the epidemiology of cancer, including a discussion of the major... discussing the cancer profile in Europe, it is helpful to consider the definitions of terms such as cancer incidence and mortality, as well as the sources of such information, their availability and, where necessary, their estimation Cancer incidence is the frequency of the occurrence of new cases of cancer in a defined population over a given period of time, usually a year It is expressed either as the . cancer patients. Zofija Mazej Kukovic Minister of Health, Republic of Slovenia Responding to the challenge of cancer in Europexiv ˆ Acknowledgements Responding to the Challenge of Cancer in Europe. attempt to bring together the latest information and analysis to assist in meeting the challenge of cancer. Some of the most eminent European experts in cancer control have contributed to the book research interests include cancer screening and the health effects of radiation. He is the principal investigator of the Finnish randomized trial on prostate cancer screening and is one of the coordinators