European Code against Cancer: Europe’s key cancer prevention tool in informing the general public how to reduce their cancer risk

Abstract The European Code against Cancer (ECAC), launched in 1987 and after several periodical updates now used in its 4th edition published in 2014-15 in all official European languages, is a key cancer prevention tool that translates scientific evidence into unambiguous public health recommendations for the general public of how to reduce their risk of getting or dying from cancer. The 4th edition is the most comprehensive one, providing context and background information for a better understanding of the twelve recommendations. It is further supported by a recently launched self-learning course for health promoters, hosted in the E-Learning Center of Europe's leading network of cancer prevention research institutions: Cancer Prevention Europe (CPE). With an abundance of rather confusing “cancer news” the public receives through media and the Internet almost everyday, there is indeed a need for a reliable, authoritative and evidence-based information source for cancer prevention. For that reason, the ECAC recommendations follow three key scientific principles: it only recommends scientifically established actions for reducing cancer risk, its messages are relevant for a broader general public, and it communicates them in a non-scientific language so they are easy to follow. In 2020, IARC/WHO, CPE, Association of European Cancer Leagues and other ECAC stakeholders, have developed a roadmap for the ECAC's sustainability within the innovative Partnership on Action Against Cancer (iPAAC). This plan being essential towards achieving the 80% awareness goal, its main elements include a scientific revision, an expansion to include scientifically established successful interventions in cancer prevention on both individual and population levels, an expansion on the target groups encompassing health professionals and policymakers, and an outreach for synergies with other non-communicable diseases prevention strategies.

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European Code Against Cancer (ECAC): Actions Taken by Polish ECAC Youth Ambassador

Journal of Global Oncology ◽

10.1200/jgo.18.65100 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽

pp. 133s-133s

Author(s):

P. Koczkodaj

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Cancer Risk ◽

Cancer Prevention ◽

Large Scale ◽

Planning Process ◽

European Countries ◽

Primary Cancer ◽

Teenagers And Young Adults ◽

Program Policy ◽

European Code

Background and context: European Code Against Cancer (ECAC) is an initiative of the European Commission aims to inform citizens about actions possible to take to decrease cancer risk. Current - 4th issue - of the ECAC contains 12 recommendations which can be implemented in daily life without any specific skills or advices. It is estimated that more than 50% of all cancer deaths in Europe could be prevented if every person would follow ECAC recommendations. So as to promote ECAC recommendations, Association of European Cancer Leagues - ECL created in 2015 Youth Ambassadors Program which brought together young people (18-35 y.o.) from more than 20 European countries to support ECAC dissemination in each country represented by youth ambassadors chosen in competitive process. In Poland, actions coordinated by ECAC Youth Ambassador (YA) - Pawel Koczkodaj - has been taken since 2017. Aim: To promote recommendations of the European Code Against Cancer, and raise its visibility in Poland. Strategy/Tactics: Accordingly to ECL data, 21% of people in Poland in 2017 have heard about ECAC. In comparison with 2015, there is an increase of awareness on ECAC existence - 13% in 2015, but this result is still not rewarding. Moreover, same knowledge is not enough - to reduce cancer risk, it is crucial to convince people to modify their behaviors and attitudes. Therefore, to achieve this goal, a brochure “12 sposobow na zdrowie” (12 ways to health) with ECAC recommendations in Polish language has been developed. This brochure in a simple words describes what to do to limit cancer risk. Additionally, Polish ECAC YA has developed strategy for promotion of this publication and performed its implementation. Program/Policy process: In developed strategy a wide variety of actions have been planned and performed so far. In planning process these actions were divided into two basic groups: education (lectures, seminars, nationwide brochure shipment, conferences) and promotion (media activities - nationwide TV and radio interviews, social media). All of these activities were scheduled and performed after SWOT analyze since July 2017 (strategy is still ongoing). Outcomes: With highly limited financial resources a large-scale educational and promotional action about ECAC recommendations was successfully planned, initiated and performed. What was learned: There is a need of constant actions aiming education about primary cancer prevention in Poland, especially among teenagers and young adults. Experience from meetings with these young people show that a lot of them have insufficient knowledge or misconceptions about primary cancer prevention - for example about HPV vaccinations. ECAC YAs concept turned out as a complex, efficient tool in promoting ECAC recommendations in Poland, which could be worth to spread to other, not only European countries.

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Identification of cancer risk and associated behaviour: implications for social marketing campaigns for cancer prevention

BMC Cancer ◽

10.1186/s12885-017-3540-x ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Rebecca Kippen ◽

Erica James ◽

Bernadette Ward ◽

Penny Buykx ◽

Ardel Shamsullah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cancer Risk ◽

Cancer Prevention ◽

Social Marketing ◽

Social Marketing Campaigns

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Abstract PD11-01: Adherence to the new WCRF cancer prevention recommendations associates with a decreased breast cancer risk

10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs20-pd11-01 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mélanie Deschasaux ◽

Laurent Bourhis ◽

Laurent Zelek ◽

Eloi Chazelas ◽

Charlotte Debras ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Breast Cancer Risk ◽

Cancer Risk ◽

Cancer Prevention

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Serum androgens and prostate cancer risk: results from the placebo arm of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial

Cancer Causes & Control ◽

10.1007/s10552-015-0695-0 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 175-182 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Jeannette M. Schenk ◽

Cathee Till ◽

Ann W. Hsing ◽

Frank Z. Stanczyk ◽

Zhihong Gong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prostate Cancer ◽

Cancer Risk ◽

Cancer Prevention ◽

Prostate Cancer Risk ◽

Prevention Trial ◽

Prostate Cancer Prevention ◽

Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial ◽

Serum Androgens

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Development of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial Prostate Cancer Risk Calculator

Prostate Cancer Screening ◽

10.1007/978-1-60327-281-0_12 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 195-203

Author(s):

Donna P. Ankerst ◽

Ian M. Thompson

Keyword(s):

Prostate Cancer ◽

Cancer Risk ◽

Cancer Prevention ◽

Prostate Cancer Risk ◽

Prevention Trial ◽

Risk Calculator ◽

Prostate Cancer Prevention ◽

Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial

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Treatment-emergent hypomania possibly associated with over-the-counter supplements

Mental Health Clinician ◽

10.9740/mhc.2017.07.160 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 160-163

Author(s):

William Olsufka ◽

Mary-Ann Abraham

Keyword(s):

Adverse Effects ◽

Alternative Medicine ◽

Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽

Safety Profile ◽

General Public ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Western World ◽

Over The Counter ◽

Treatment Of Depression ◽

Number Of Patients

Abstract The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is gaining popularity in the Western world. Among the general public, CAM is often perceived to be associated with less stigma, fewer adverse effects, and may be more affordable. A number of patients utilize CAM for the treatment of depression; however, as there is limited scientific evidence, the safety profile of these supplements are largely unknown. In this case, a 42-year-old man developed hypomania approximately 1 week after S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) therapy was initiated for depression. The combination of SAMe and 5-HTP can potentially induce hypomanic episodes.

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Evidentiality In Romance Languages. Explanatory Potential of a Concept and Its Applications In Pragmatics

Cadernos de Linguística ◽

10.25189/2675-4916.2021.v2.n1.id337 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. e337

Author(s):

Gerda Hassler

Keyword(s):

Epistemic Justification ◽

Information Source ◽

Epistemic Modality ◽

Romance Languages ◽

Superordinate Category ◽

European Languages ◽

Sources Of Knowledge ◽

Factual Claim ◽

Source Of Information ◽

Linguistic Means

Defined narrowly, evidentiality pertains to the sources of knowledge or evidence whereby the speaker feels entitled to make a factual claim. But evidentiality may also be conceived more broadly as both providing epistemic justification and reflecting speaker’s attitude towards the validity of the communicated information, and hearer’s potential acceptability of the information, derived from the degree of reliability of the source and mode of access to the information. Evidentiality and epistemic modality are subcategories of the same superordinate category, namely a category of epistemicity. Since the first seminal works on evidentiality (Chafe and Nichols 1986), studies have for the most part centred on languages where the grammatical marking of the information source is obligatory (for example Willett 1988; Aikhenvald 2004). Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in the study of the domain of evidentiality in European languages, which rely on strategies along the lexico‐grammatical continuum. Assuming a broad conception of evidentiality and defining it as a functional category, we study linguistic means that fulfil the function of indicating the source of information for the transmitted content of a certain proposition in Romance languages.

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Perception of risk factors for cancer in the ABC population

Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira ◽

10.1590/1806-9282.66.6.757 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 66 (6) ◽

pp. 757-761

Author(s):

Karine Corcione Turke ◽

Juliana Seidler Canonaco ◽

Thiago Artioli ◽

Aline Hernandez Marquez Sarafyan ◽

Erika Toshie Aoki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cancer Risk ◽

Risk Behaviors ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Positive Family History ◽

Risk Awareness ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Cancer Risk Factors ◽

Qualitative Variables ◽

Cancer Risk Awareness

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE To evaluate the knowledge about risk factors for cancer in patients treated at the ABC Medical School (FMABC). METHODS Cross-sectional observational study conducted in 2019. The American Cancer Institute’s Cancer Risk Awareness Survey questionnaire was used with 29 cancer risk factors, 14 of which were proven to cause cancer and 15 without consensus or scientific evidence of causality with cancer but that are often reminded by most of the population. Qualitative variables were described by frequency and percentage, and quantitative variables by mean and standard deviation or median and range depending on normality, assessed by the Shapiro-Wilk test. The study was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration for Research and approved by the Research Ethics Committee. RESULTS 191 patients were included. Median age 54 (20 to 90), 64% female. 35.6% reported current or previous smoking. 3.1% consumed alcohol more than 5 drinks/week. 56% reported sedentary lifestyle. 44% had at least 1 case of cancer in relatives up to 2nd degree. The average of correct answers in the analyzed population was 12.83 ± 3.06. A weak positive correlation was observed between income and number of cases (rho = 0.177, p = 0.02). No relationship was observed between the number of correct answers and level of education, age, sex, marital status, race or patients with a positive family history for cancer. CONCLUSION The knowledge about risk factors for cancer in the ABC population is low, which may contribute to the adoption of risk behaviors for the disease.

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