The Union for International Cancer Control (previously named International Union Against Cancer) or UICC is a non-governmental organisation with some 1,180 member organisations in more than 170 countries.[1]
UICC was founded in 1933 and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. Its member organisations feature cancer societies, governmental agencies, treatment and research centres, patient support groups and professional associations.
UICC was established in Paris in 1933 following a proposal at a cancer congress in Madrid to create an international organisation that would "promote the fight against cancer through research, therapy and the development of social activities."
The organisation was given the Latin name Unio Internationalis Contra Cancrum, hence the acronym UICC, and the first General Assembly took place in Paris on 4 May 1935, with representatives from 67 national cancer organisations and 43 countries. The English name was changed in 2010 to its current name, Union for International Cancer Control so that the "UICC" acronym would be consistent with that for the French, Spanish and Latin texts.
The 1933 cancer congress in Madrid was considered the first "International Cancer Congress" and the second was held in Brussels in 1936 under the auspices of UICC. The third took place in Atlantic City, US, in 1939 before the activities of UICC were suspended due to World Word II. The fourth and fifth congresses were held in 1947 and 1950 respectively. Thereafter and until 2006, the international cancer congress – later named World Cancer Congress – and UICC’s General Assembly were held every four years; since 2006 they have been held every two years.[3] The 2020 World Cancer Congress that was due to be held in Oman had to be called off because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The official mission statement of UICC reads: "UICC unites and supports the cancer community to reduce the global cancer burden, to promote greater equity, and to ensure that cancer control continues to be a priority in the world health and development agenda."[1]
UICC convenes the cancer community at events (World Cancer Congress, World Cancer Leaders’ Summit), organises thematic webinars, provides training, fellowships and grants, and advocates for effective cancer control. It is also behind World Cancer Day, an official international awareness day marked every year on February 4.[8]
Scientific publications
UICC published the TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors in 1953 as the "Uniform Technique for a Clinical Classification by the TNM System", with the first pocket book edition issued in 1968.[9] The Classification has been regularly updated and the 8th edition was published with John Wiley and Sons (Wiley) in 2017.
The peer-reviewed medical journal, the International Journal of Cancer, has been the official journal of UICC[10] since 1966 and covers topics relevant to experimental and clinical cancer research.
UICC publishes with Wiley the Manual of Clinical Oncology[11] with information on cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment, survivorship, special populations and palliative care.
UICC is a non-governmental organisation governed by its member organisations, which meet in a general assembly held every two years. Between general assemblies a Board of Directors with 16 directors, elected at the general assembly, act as the executive body of UICC. At its head is the President of UICC, a position currently held by Prof Anil D’Cruz from India.
The organisation is managed by the CEO with a staff of some 40 employees, based in Geneva, Switzerland. The current CEO is Dr Cary Adams, who has held this position since 2009.
Member organisations, partners and other networks
UICC’s more than 1,200 members include cancer societies, governmental agencies, treatment and research centres, patient support groups and professional associations from around the world.
UICC also works with over 60 partners, including other health organisations, foundations and private sector companies committed to the fight against cancer.
In addition, UICC is a founding member of the NCD Alliance,[14] the McCabe Centre for Law & Cancer,[15] the International Cancer Control Partnership[16] and established the City Cancer Challenge Foundation in January 2019.[17]
The TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors (TNM) is a globally recognised standard for classifying the anatomical extent of the spread of malignant tumours (cancer). It has gained wide international acceptance for many solid tumor cancers, but is not applicable to leukaemia or tumors of the central nervous system. Most common tumors have their own TNM classification. The TNM staging system is sometimes referred to as the AJCC/UICC staging system or the UICC/AJCC staging system.
Cancer staging is the process of determining the extent to which a cancer has grown and spread. A number from I to IV is assigned, with I being an isolated cancer and IV being a cancer that has metastasized and spread from its origin. The stage generally takes into account the size of a tumor, whether it has invaded adjacent organs, how many regional (nearby) lymph nodes it has spread to, and whether it has appeared in more distant locations (metastasized).
The Tata Memorial Hospital is situated in Parel, Mumbai, in India. Also popularly known as TMH. It is one of the 62 specialist cancer treatment and research centres in India. It is closely associated with the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC). The centre is the national comprehensive cancer centre for the prevention, treatment, education and research in cancer, and is recognised as one of the leading cancer centres in this part of the world. It is an autonomous body funded and controlled by Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India which also oversees the administration of the institute since 1962.
M. Krishnan Nair was an Indian oncologist. He was the founding director of the Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, a director of the S.U.T. Institute of Oncology, and Trivandrum Cancer Center(TCC), part of SUT Royal Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) and a professor at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences & Research in Kochi. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian award of the Padma Shri in 2001 for his contributions in the cancer care field.
The "war on cancer" is the effort to find a cure for cancer by increased research to improve the understanding of cancer biology and the development of more effective cancer treatments, such as targeted drug therapies. The aim of such efforts is to eradicate cancer as a major cause of death. The signing of the National Cancer Act of 1971 by United States president Richard Nixon is generally viewed as the beginning of this effort, though it was not described as a "war" in the legislation itself.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is a professional organization representing physicians of all oncology sub-specialties who care for people with cancer. Founded in 1964 by Fred Ansfield, Harry Bisel, Herman Freckman, Arnoldus Goudsmit, Robert Talley, William Wilson, and Jane C. Wright, it has nearly 45,000 members worldwide.
Geriatric oncology is a branch of medicine that is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in the elderly, usually defined as aged 65 and older. This fairly young but increasingly important subspecialty incorporates the special needs of the elderly into the treatment of cancer.
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an oncologist. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (ónkos), meaning "tumor", "volume" or "mass". Oncology is concerned with:
Paul T. Finger, MD, FACS, is an ophthalmologist in New York, New York, specializing in ocular oncology. Finger is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the New York University School of Medicine in New York City, New York. He is also the director of The New York Eye Cancer Center and Ocular Tumor Services at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mt. Sinai. He consults for Northwell Health Complex of affiliated Hospitals including Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital and NYU School of Medicine. He is Chair of the Ophthalmic Oncology Task Force for the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), wrote the eye cancer staging systems section for the Union International for Cancer Control (UICC). As Chair, he brought together an OOTF to develop consensus eye plaque radiation guidelines for The American Brachytherapy Society - American Association of Physicists in Medicine. Dr. Finger was the first the only ophthalmologist asked to serve on the 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine’s Task Group-129 that produced both dosimetry and quality assurance standards for plaque brachytherapy. As of 2021, Dr. Finger has authored over 335 peer-review scientific articles, 2 books, 54 book chapters and 2 web sites.
Carlo La Vecchia is an Italian epidemiologist. He is doing research on chronic diseases, where he contributed to the understanding of the risks related to diet, tobacco, oral contraceptive use and occupational or environmental exposure to toxic substances in cancer and other chronic diseases development.
Clement Adebamowo is a Nigerian medical researcher and academic. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Adebamowo is currently Director For Global Health Cancer Research, and a professor of Epidemiology & Public Health, at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He is known for his work in cancer epidemiology, nutrition epidemiology, and research ethics, particularly in low resource and under-served in Africa.
Rajendra Achyut Badwe, is an Indian medical doctor and surgical oncologist. He was honoured by the Government of India, in 2013, by bestowing on him the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for his contributions to the field of medicine. He is currently the Director of Tata Memorial Centre.
Dr. Vijay Anand Reddy is an Indian oncologist known for his contributions to the field of cancer. He serves as the director and senior consultant oncologist at Apollo Cancer Hospital, Hyderabad. He also served as the President of Association of Radiation Oncologists of India & Chairman of Indian College of Radiation Oncology.
Project Pink Blue, registered as Health & Psychological Trust Centre is a cancer nonprofit engaged in raising cancer awareness, patient navigation, advocacy and free breast and cervical cancer screening for women living in poverty. The organization launched Nigeria's first patient navigation in 2015 and a toll- free telephone centre 08000CANCER in 2016 Project PINK BLUE won the SPARC Metastatic Breast Cancer challenge grant by Union for International Cancer Control and Pfizer Oncology in Lisbon, Portugal.
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Princess Dina Mired is a Jordanian humanitarian and health activist. She is a leading global advocate for cancer control and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). She was the President of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) from 2018 to 2020 and was the first Arab Muslim elected to lead in such a prestigious global post. Princess Dina is the former Director-General of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation. Princess Dina Mired was also recognized as one of the 100 Influential Women in Oncology by OncoDaily.
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Folakemi Titilayo Odedina is a Nigerian-born scientist and professor of pharmacy and medicine at the University of Florida. She is the principal investigator for the Prostate Cancer Transatlantic Consortium (CaPTC), a clinical research group using genomic science and environmental etiology to exploring disproportionate burden of prostate cancer among Black men funded by the NCI. She is a member of American Cancer Society's National Prostate Cancer Disparities Advisory Team.
Mary K. Gospodarowicz Evans is a Canadian oncologist. She is a University Professor at the University of Toronto and the past Medical Director at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
Beth Young Karlan is an American gynecologic oncologist. In 2008, she was named editor-in-chief of the medical journals Gynecologic Oncology and Gynecologic Oncology Reports. In 2012, Karlan was appointed by the White House to serve on the National Cancer Advisory Board, and in 2015, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
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