Princess Dina Mired Delivers Speech at World Cancer Leaders’ Summit as part of International Union Against Cancer Conference

A delegation from the King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF) and Center, led by HRH Princess Dina Mired, Director General of KHCF, participated in the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) Conference in Shenzhen, the People’s Republic of China from August 18 – 21, 2010. During the conference, Princess Dina was invited to present two speeches; one at the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit and another during an evening event organized by the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the American Cancer Society.

At the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit meeting, organized by the UICC, in coordination with the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the World Economic Forum and the World Health Organization, Princess Dina highlighted Jordan’s achievements in becoming a regional model of success for the Middle East in the fight against cancer. Through her presentation, Princess Dina outlined the steps that KHCF and its medical arm, the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC), have taken to involve all segments of society and to achieve international recognition as a comprehensive cancer care center of excellence for patients in Jordan and the region. KHCC has earned three international accreditations including one as a disease-specific cancer center which makes it the only center in the developing world to carry such an honor.

Princess Dina underlined that this success could not have been achieved without the support that KHCF receives from local, regional and international organizations, along with the cooperation of all sectors of Jordanian society, and emphasized that the fight against cancer is too great a burden for any one organization to bear alone. 
 
During the evening event organized by the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the American Cancer Society, Princess Dina presented a speech in her role as Honorary Co-President of the ‘Global Task Force on Expanded Access to Cancer Care and Control in the Developing World’ (GTF.CCC), speaking about the Task Force’s work and underscoring that cancer is a worldwide epidemic that is not limited to any country or region.  Her Highness emphasized that many people who face cancer in developing countries do not have the opportunity to receive early detection and diagnosis and consequent successful treatment, thereby increasing the rates of deaths from cancer in these countries.  Princess Dina called for the global community to join forces in combating cancer so that a greater number of lives could be saved through providing accessible and affordable cancer treatment. She underlined that the chance for a cure should not be an accident of geography, but should be available to all people regardless of race or nationality.

During the conference, Dr. Jamal Khader, Head of Genitourinary & Lung Service and Director of Radiation Oncology Residency Program at KHCC presented a speech entitled ‘Telesynergy :Tools to bridge the cancer care gap between developed and developing countries’, while Dr. Feras Hawari, Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Director of Respiratory Therapy Service and Director of Cancer Control Office, talked about ‘Smoking Cessation in Cancer Patients: A One Year Follow-Up of Abstinence Rates and Reasons for Failure’.