INCa First Annual Meeting

Last updated on: 11/11/2009

The first annual meeting of the National Cancer Institute, held on 7 October 2009 in Paris with more than 1,200 attending, sparked much debate on the major challenges for the future 2009-2013 Cancer Plan.

The day brought together around a fifty speakers, health and research professionals, and representatives from patient associations and many other institutions. On the agenda for the day were meetings, information exchange and sharing of views on the main themes and proposals of Prof. Jean-Pierre Grünfeld’s report entitled “Recommendations for the 2009-2013 Cancer Plan”.

Explaining that "the fight against cancer is to act in a coordinated, comprehensive and sustainable manner", Prof. Dominique Maraninchi, Chairman of the National Cancer Institute, stressed in the opening speech of the conference that the first challenge was to provide the 800 or so people, who, each day, are faced with cancer, a course of treatment that leads to their recovery.

Prof. Didier Houssin, Director-General for Public Health, recalled the method for preparing the next Cancer Plan and the attention required for its interaction with other public health policies. He outlined some broad guidelines to give new impetus such as, for example, the issue of transfer in research, the fight against disparities, or the role of the GP in coordinating the course of the illness. The day was concluded with the reading of a message from the President of the Republic by Roselyne Bachelot, Minister of Health and Sports.

The video tapes and summaries are available in French