Annual Report 2006

27
to the ICA, was also awarded to other organizations
such as the American Organization for
the Advancement of Women's Status, the
American Civil Rights Organization/Movement
and the American Medical Association Code of
Medical Ethics.
Israel Cancer Association
Services
Telemeida Information Network in
Arabic
The ICA Telemeida and Information Network in
Arabic was established in mid-2003, and since
the outset of its activity, it began providing solutions
to callers 24 hours a day. The Telemeida
is supervised by Fatten Gattesse, ICA Arab
Sector Coordinator, and with assistance from
Mrs. Ariela Litvitz, Northern Region Social
Worker, and social worker Mrs. Haned Abeiyeh.
Prof. Jamal Zeidan, Director of the Oncology
Institute at Sieff Hospital in Safed is the volunteer
medical and scientific consultant.
There is a diverse caller population referring
to the information and support hotline, and
many calls are received from patients who
have been diagnosed with cancer, patients
who are recovering from the disease, relatives
and acquaintances of patients who require
information, contact or support, as well as from
professionals and the general population using
ICA information booklets who would like additional
information. In most cases, some of them
identify themselves and some prefer to remain
anonymous. The content of the conversations
ranges from conversations seeking to obtain
answers to questions about different types of
cancers, to warm conversations that are aimed
at providing emotional support to callers who
are in distress, have lost hope and are helpless.
Requests for financial assistance to purchase
expensive drugs frequently feature among the
calls as well. Advertising of the hotline through
the media channels has led to a significant increase
in the number of calls. Marketing activity
is currently underway to promote the hotline at
hospitals and in welfare offices.
This project was made possible due to the
support of pfizer Ltd.
Telemeida in Russian
In summing up the initial years of activity of the
Telemeida service in Russian, positive trends
are clearly evident, with a steady increase in
the number of callers to the hotline in Russian.
Over 1,000 people called the hotline in the first
half of 2005. No increase in callers of a younger
age has been observed over the years; however
there has been a steady increase in the number
of callers who are 50 years of age and older.
Upon analyzing the statistics, it appears that
the Telemeida service in Russian located in the
north serves callers from all over Israel to the
same extent – from Nahariya, Haifa, and the
Krayot in the north, all the way to Beer Sheva
and Ahskelon in the south. Dr. Samion Shapiro,
Manager of the Telemeida in Russian, summed
up the service's initial years of activity.
Genetics and Cancer Booklet
Cancer is the most prevalent disease in the
world, and the risk of very person of contracting
it during his/her lifetime ranges anywhere
from 30% to 50%. Most of cases of cancer are
random, and in such cases the disease appears
without a familial tendency to develop cancer.
About 5% to 10% of cancer cases develop
against a backdrop of familial tendency, which
increases the risk of contracting cancer during
one's lifetime. In families in which there is such
a hereditary tendency, many family members
contract cancer. Some of these same family
cases are caused by inherited cancer syndromes,
which may be identified by clarifying the familial
history and running special lab tests. The ICA in
conjunction with TEVA Pharmaceuticals produced
a new booklet containing comprehensive and
up to date information about what hereditary
cancer syndromes have in common, while focusing
on several main syndromes. The booklet