Towards a future without cancer - Institute of Public Health in Ireland

European Week Against Cancer 2013Wednesday 29th MayDay 1: Healthy Lifestyles for Cancer Prevention15.45 – 17.15 Workshops – Refreshments ServedWorkshop 1Liver Cancer Prevention: getting viralhepatitis under controlThe European Liver Patients Association (ELPA)panel discussion on national and regionalviral hepatitis programmes. Goal: to identifymeasures and instruments, for effective livercancer prevention. Relevant findings fromELPA’s viral Hepatitis index will complementthe discussion.Mr Charles Gore: President of the WorldHepatitis AllianceProfessor Mark Thursz, Imperial Collegeand past Secretary General of the EuropeanAssociation for the Study of the LiverProfessor Lidia Georgieva Assoc. Professorin Medical University, Sofia, Faculty of PublicHealth, Advisor at the Ministry of Healthand consultant at EC, DG SANCO and DGResearch and InnovationsProfessor Suzanne Norris is a consultanthepatologist/gastroenterologist at St James’sHospital and is associate professor at TrinityCollege DublinProfessor David Goldberg, HealthProtection Scotland and University of Glasgowand former Chair of Scotland’s Hepatitis CAction Plan Governance BoardWorkshop 2Mind the Gender Gap: Smoking and Drinking inWomen and Young GirlsThe European Institute of Women’s Health will host thisworkshop on the serious health challenges for womendue to smoking and binge drinking. Cancer of the lung/bronchus is the third most common cancer amongwomen in Europe. The increase of tobacco and alcoholconsumption is threatening not only the future health ofwomen but also affects their children’s health.Co-Chairperson: Ms Peggy Maguire, Director General,European Institute of Womens HealthCo-Chairperson: Mr Gerhard Steffes, Policy Officer,Programme and Knowledge Management Unit,Directorate for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO)The impact of alcohol on European womenProfessor Joe Barry, Head of the Department of PublicHealth and Primary Care , Trinity College for HealthSciences and Board Member of Alcohol Action IrelandTackling Smoking in Europe: Improving the healthof women and girlsProfessor Linda Bauld, Health Policy, University of Stirling“Me, My Smoking and I”, X-HALE Youth Awards 2012Ms. Joanne Vance Senior Health Promotion Officer,Irish Cancer SocietyExpert panel discussion and recommendations byCo Chair Mr. Gerhard Steffes and Hildrun Sundseth,Head of Health Policy, EIWHEuropean Code Against Cancer (third version)Many aspects of general health can be improved and many cancer deaths prevented, if we adopt healthier lifestyles:1. Do not smoke; if you smoke, stop doing so. If you fail to stop, do not smoke in the presence of non-smokers.2. Avoid Obesity.3. Undertake some brisk, physical activity every day.4. Increase your daily intake and variety of vegetables and fruits: eat at least five servings daily. Limit your intake of foodscontaining fats from animal sources.5. If you drink alcohol, whether beer, wine or spirits, moderate your consumption to two drinks per day if you are a man orone drink per day if you are a woman.6. Care must be taken to avoid excessive sun exposure. It is specifically important to protect children and adolescents. Forindividuals who have a tendency to burn in the sun, active protective measures must be taken throughout life.7. Apply strictly regulations aimed at preventing any exposure to known cancer-causing substances. Follow all health andsafety instructions on substances which may cause cancer. Follow advice of national radiation protection offices.There are Public Health programmes which could prevent cancers developing or increase the probability that acancer may be cured:8. Women from 25 years of age should participate in cervical screening. This should be within programmes with qualitycontrol procedures in compliance with “European Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Cervical Screening”.9. Women from 50 years of age should participate in breast screening. This should be within programmes with qualitycontrol procedures in compliance with “European Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Mammography Screening”.10. Men and women from 50 years of age should participate in colorectal screening. This should be within programmeswith built-in quality assurance procedures.11. Participate in vaccination programmes against hepatitis B virus infection.This event has received funding from the European Commission.#ewac2013