Let's Talk Cancer

Half the world's population still lacks access to essential health services, including cancer care. Universal health coverage is key in changing this. Senator Dr Sania Nishtar, former Federal Minister of Health of Pakistan, provides insights into the often-overlooked issue of integrating comprehensive cancer services into national health benefits packages and the challenges faced by governments in achieving this goal. 

Attempts to cure cancer have spanned centuries and been influenced by culture, region and religion. Those working to understand and treat cancer have faced similar problems throughout history.Thanks to modern medicine, we are constantly seeing better survival rates. Yet cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Looking at the past can provide valuable lessons in understanding cancer and managing innovation.In this episode, Cary Adams, CEO of UICC, speaks with Professor Yolanda Eraso, from London Metropolitan University, and with Carsten Timmermann, from the University of Manchester.

Black, Indigenous and People of Colour face healthcare disparities in many forms, including in their experience of cancer. The reasons are complex and involve numerous economic, social and biological factors. This was the experience of Michelle Audoin, a Black woman diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer at age 40. Asked to decide whether or not she wanted reconstructive breast surgery, she could find no images of Black women to help her make an informed choice.  With the aim of raising awareness of the experiences of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour living with breast cancer, Michelle came up with the idea of Uncovered, A Breast Recognition Project, a resource created in collaboration with ReThink Breast Cancer, an organisation based in Canada.   Through powerful photographs and stories of BIPOC living with breast cancer, Uncovered seeks to shine a light on these inequities, and help educate all people about the unmet needs of the Black, Indigenous and People of Colour community.  We're speaking with Michelle Audoin, the creator of Uncovered, and MJ DeCoteau, Founder and Executive Director of Rethink Breast Cancer.

A staggering 99% of the population is breathing air that exceeds safe quality limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO). This polluted air, filled with fine particulate matter from various sources like fossil fuel combustion, wildfires, and construction sites, poses significant health risks – notably, an increased risk of cancer. This episode of "Let's talk cancer" delves into this public health crisis with Dr Maria Neira, Director of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health at WHO.

Drug shortages - from antibiotics to vital cancer drugs - have grown into a global concern, and the unavailability of these medicines hits lower-income countries hardest. In this episode of Let's talk cancer, Cary Adams together with Hans Hogerzeil, formerly of WHO, and Charles Gore of Medicines Patent Pool, explains the reasons behind this, and ways to ensure that everyone receives the medicines they need, when they need them.

Fake science, front groups and the promise of happiness: uncover the tactics used by the tobacco and alcohol industries to market their products, particularly to vulnerable populations, as well as ways to counter them.In this podcast, Cary Adams, CEO of UICC, is joined by Dr Adriana Blanco Marquizo, Head of the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and Maik Dunnbier, Director of Strategy and Advocacy at Movendi International.

Around 13% of adults are considered obese and 40% overweight. Once a concern only for high-income countries, excess body weight now affects people across different regions and income levels and has become one of the world’s biggest public health concerns.  Excess body weight is a risk factor for many diseases including more than a dozen types of cancer. But too often, individuals are seen as solely responsible for their weight, and people who “obese” or “overweight” – who have a high body mass index – are stigmatised if not discriminated against. They are told to simply “eat less” and “exercise more”, and made to feel responsible for their poor health, when in truth, the reasons are complex and numerous, ranging from genetics to a low socioeconomic background and a lack of opportunity to make informed choices about their health. Many people also live in environments where healthy foods and the ability to exercise are less available, accessible or affordable. In this podcast, Cary Adams, CEO of UICC, speaks with Fiona Bull, Head of Physical Activity at the Department of Health Promotion, at the World Health Organization, and Kendra Chow, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at the World Cancer Research Fund International, and a registered dietician, about the world’s obesity and nutrition problem.  

A highly promising field in cancer research is the development of blood tests that can detect different cancers at the earliest stages. Referred to as multi-cancer early detection (MCED), this technology has the potential to become a game-changer for cancer control worldwide. Dr Dan Milner, Executive Director of the Access to Oncology Medicines Coalition (ATOM) explains how MCED works and why he is optimistic that it will help us turn the tide on cancer.