– Concept Note –What should we do to place cancer on the global health agenda?
Sharing information leads to human security

Key words: Human security/ MDGs/ Information TechnologyShenzhen, China, 2010
Organized and sponsored by the Asia Cancer Forum

1. Background and overview
The incidence of infectious diseases in developing countries and the delay informulating measures to respond to these diseases is recognized as an issue requiring
the attention of industrialized nations. Accordingly, infectious diseases are given due
recognition on the global health agenda. However, cancer has still to gain therecognition it rightly deserves in the world of global health. This is due to the fact that itis generally viewed as a disease specific to individuals in industrialized nations, which
occurs as a result of the individual’s approach to personal health management.
Last year, the Fifth Asia Cancer Forum discussed issues relating to cancer andconcluded that the highest priority should be for expert groups to share a common
recognition of the necessity for cancer to be raised on the global health agenda. In theinternational community there has also been increasing recognition of the necessity to“begin discussion on placing cancer on the global health agenda,” as evidenced by theResolution of the United Nations on May 13, 2010 to hold a United Nations General
Assembly Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
However, the results of a survey implemented by the Asia Cancer Forum in April
2010, on the occasion of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association forCancer Research (AACR), entitled “Survey on Inclusion of Cancer in the Global Health
Agenda,” showed that interest in this issue is not particularly high among a great
majority of specialists. Discussion on the inclusion of cancer on the global healthagenda does not stop merely at the advocacy of humanitarian principles. In fact, what isneeded now is a move away from the linear debate such as that which has dominateddiscussions of aid to developing nations in the past, and a move towards more complex
projections. Therefore, it is necessary to gain the broad participation of cancer
researchers in working to decipher the current challenges faced by industrialized
nations, which could then be utilized in assistance to developing nations. In otherwords, it is necessary to establish a framework for resolving issues that faceindustrialized nations.

We are now in an era in which developments in health innovation have a significant
impact on the direction for global health.
In the initial stages of the genome-wide association study, it was thought that genetic
differences by race increased the predisposition to the occurrence of a particular disease.
However, as research has advanced it has shown that although there are some statistics
differences among races according to genetic background, the genetic factors
predisposing a person to the occurrence of disease are clearly shared by all humankind.
In other words, any careful observations made in one specific region of the world arerelevant to other regions.
Due to the tremendous improvements in genome analysis capabilities it is now
possible to analyze genetic information to an incredibly detailed level. Furthermore, IT
has enabled quantitative tracking of the vast amounts of medical-related data that are
created in the modern world.
By continuously and automatically collecting and gathering information from various
sources, including clinical data and medical records, and using this information torealize the creation of a system that would produce the required evidence for thepurpose of providing each patient with the most appropriate and latest medicaltreatment, we would be heading in a direction in which medical treatment and researchwould join together in a synergetic partnership and providing mutual feedback.
Through such technological breakthroughs we would be able to search out
information relating to the culturally diverse acquired lifestyle customs that exist in
Asia, even in persons of similar race, and work to reduce risk factors and even help toprevent further epidemics. It is for this reason that rather than basing our research on
persons of ethnicities removed from Asia, if we were able to carefully study andunderstand the fine differences that exist among the races and nationalities of the Asianregion, we would be closer to understanding the nature of diseases in humanity as awhole.
Infectious diseases are characterized by their tendency to infect many people, whilethe variation in the disease itself is not so great. However, non-communicable diseases,and cancer in particular, have the characteristic of presenting differently from person toperson. In other words, we can see that “to understand cancer it is important to look at
the differences among individuals.” We have now arrived at the point where we canposit the hypothesis that “in a region with genetic similarities, in which a diversity ofacquired lifestyle customs co-exist, would it not be possible to gather significant data
through cohort research in the region?”
Progress in science bestows upon people the promise of limitless possibilities and themeans to live longer. Humankind has devoted much time and effort in the fight against
disease.
In the near future the international community is likely to face an unjust situation inwhich some people with the same disease will be cured while others will suffer and die.
It is this grave reality that we must address.
The Asia Cancer Forum bases its activities on the Universal Declaration of HumanRights, which states that everyone has the right to share in scientific advancement andits benefits equally. In aiming to utilize scientific advancement to address the issue ofwhat we can do to ensure that the challenges that have been faced by industrialized
nations are not faced by developing nations, the Asia Cancer Forum is engaging in
discussion on the challenge common to both industrialized and developing nations,
namely the inclusion of cancer in the global health agenda.

2. Objectives
One of the aims of the meeting will be to discuss how we can ensure a position for cancer
treatment on the global health agenda with the ultimate aim of achieving human security for all.
To achieve this aim, it is essential that broad-ranging information is collected. In the meeting

we will discuss what methods are available to us in our attempts to create a common
data system for the rapidly growing Asian region. We will also discuss what
preparations can be made to consider and respond to the obstacles to the creation of an
Asia-wide data and information network.

3. Expected outcomes
1) Aiming for inclusion of cancer on the global health agenda will provide further
clarity for a direction for cancer research.

2) Information collection methods that change with the progress of innovation will
become clearer. Continuing to seek out detailed information on cancer will help to form
an information asset base for humanity as a whole and help cancer researchers to gain aclear picture of their own role.

3) By analyzing the collected information it will be possible to clarify what factors
influence cancer in Asia as opposed to Western countries, or clarify factors influencing
cancer among the Asian nations. Clarifying the important influencing factors will help
to demonstrate a clear path for the submission of policy proposals, and also encourage
the emergence of a common recognition that developments in health innovation areinstrumental in boosting the speed of policy proposals and widening their range.

4) The outputs of this meeting are also intended for presentation to the followinginternational bodies:

Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC; the 2010 MDG ReviewSummit)
World Bank
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

Title: What should we do to place cancer on the global health agenda?
Chaired by Prof. Hideyuki Akaza, Department of Strategic Investigation on
Comprehensive Cancer Network, Research Center for Advanced Science andTechnology (RCAST), University of Tokyo (Tokyo, Japan) and Mrs. Norie Kawahara(Tokyo, Japan)Project Researcher, RCAST,University of Tokyo
Organized and sponsored by Asia Cancer Forum

１ Views from the Asia Pacific Anticancer Therapy and Research Front

12:15

Hideyuki Akaza( Tokyo Japan akazah@med.rcast.u-tokyo.ac.jp)
2Discussion on the possibilities and significance of creating infrastructure
for cancer prevention information using school health classes

12:25

Norie Kawahara (Tokyo Japan norie.kawahara@med.rcast.u-tokyo.ac.jp)
3Cancer Pathlogy Networking in Asia

12:35

Haruhiko sugimura(Hamamatu Japan hsugimura@hama-med.ac.jp)
4

Global Network of Childhood Cancers Tumor Banks:Aiming for Better Cure Of the Sick Children

12:45

Akira Nakagawara (Chiba Japan akiranak@chiba-cc.jp)
Why do we need global collaboration in cancer research？
512:55

Establishing cross border fluidity of research materials and information
Tohru Masui (Osaka Japan masui@nibio.go.jp)

6

Global Strategies for Genome and Cell-Based Informatics
High Performance DNA Sequencing and Expression Analysis Open a
New Area
Jun Miyake (Osaka Japan jun_miyake@bpe.es.osaka-u.ac.jp)
Tackling the “Lifestyle related Cancer”
with cutting-edge Information Technology

7

Masanori Akiyama, MD, PhD
Professor, Policy Alternatives Research Institute
The University of Tokyo
Discussion Joh Haford (NCI USA)
Xian Hao ( UICC 2010. APCC2013 President)
David Hill ( UICC President)
Ibrahim Wahid (APCC 2011 President)
Julie Schneider, (NIH/NCI)

13:05