Let's Talk Cancer

Ahead of World Cancer Day on 4 February and the new campaign, ‘United by Unique,’ focusing on people-centred care, this episode of Let’s Talk Cancer highlights "Rewriting Cancer," a series of short films produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions for UICC. These films feature the experiences of people with cancer, their loved ones, caregivers, medical professionals, and volunteers worldwide. The series aims to dispel myths and highlight advancements in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care. With Gemma Jennings, Vice President at BBC StoryWorks, and James Waddington from the American Cancer Society, a prostate cancer survivor and advocate for early screening.

Antimicrobial resistance, also known as AMR or drug resistance, is among the top 10 public health threats facing humanity, according to the World Health Organization.Antimicrobial resistance happens when the medicines, including antiotics, are no longer able to fight infections from bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites.For cancer patients, the situation is particularly concerning. They have particularly weak immune systems due to the cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, they are receiving and are therefore more prone to infections. As many as 1 in 5 cancer patients undergoing treatment are hospitalised due to infection. Antibiotics are critical to treat them.Moreover, the growth of drug-resistant bacteria is undermining the key advances that have been made in surgery, radiotherapy and immunotherapies, as treatment is delayed or stopped to treat rising infections.Malin Grape is Sweden’s – and the world’s – first Ambassador on AMR, working to counteract AMR and its consequences in the EU and internationally. She joins us for this episode of “Let’s Talk Cancer” ahead of the upcoming UN high-level meeting in September on AMR.

The past few decades have witnessed significant strides in how cancer is detected, diagnosed and treated, leading to a noticeable decrease in mortality rates in many countries.These improvements are largely due to new discoveries about why and how cancer develops, generating new ways of treating cancer to help people live longer, healthier lives.From immunotherapy and AI to cancer vaccines - Cary Adams, CEO of UICC speaks with Dr Laszlo Radvanyi, President and Scientific Director of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, an internationally renowned research institute located in Toronto, Canada, who is at the forefront of some of the most ground-breaking work in cancer research.

Around 8 million people die because of tobacco consumption every single year, leading the tobacco industry to search for new users. Increasingly, it is targeting youth in the hope of hooking a new generation to tobacco products and creating lifelong consumers. To protect youth from tobacco industry interference, we must ensure that their perspectives are heard.In this episode of Let’s Talk Cancer, Cary Adams, CEO of UICC speaks with Agamroop Kaur, National Youth Advocate of the Year of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and​​​​​​ David Planas Maluenda, global health policymaker at the Spanish Association Against Cancer in Zaragoza and Youth Ambassador Against Cancer at the European Cancer Leagues.

Diagnosed with Stage 3 brain cancer and given a few years to live, Iain Ward has made it his life goal to break the world record for the most money raised for charity running a marathon. Listen to his unique story of purpose and perseverance, as we discuss everything from his innovative use of social media as a fundraising tool, to the importance of mental health and cancer. 

WHO has released new global cancer figures, showing stark inequities in preventing and treating cancer, with rising numbers of cases and cancer-related deaths expected to affect the countries least equipped to cope.In this episode of "Let's Talk Cancer", Isabelle Soerjomataram, researcher and epidemiologist at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, WHO's cancer branch, analyses and interprets these global cancer trends.