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IARC Monograph on Risks of Tobacco Smoke
In May 2004, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of
the World Health Organization, published Volume 83 of the IARC Monographs on
the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Totaling nearly 1,500 pages,
"Tobacco Smoke and Involuntary Smoking" summarized the evidence for the
carcinogenicity of tobacco smoke. While the conclusions confirm the
cancer-causing effects of active smoking, this volume also concludes its
evaluation of the risks associated with second-hand smoking and classifies
second-hand smoke as carcinogenic to humans.
The IARC Monographs Program publishes independent assessments of carcinogenic risks by a variety of agents,
mixtures, and/or exposures. Each assessment is carried out by a working group
of international experts who review all published evidence relating to the
particular agent. The working group is also charged with indicating where
additional research efforts are needed. Since its inception in 1969, the
program has reviewed more than 880 agents, and the monographs have become
widely used around the world, owing to their thoroughness and accuracy. Since
its beginning, the IARC Monographs Program has been supported by NCI; the
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has provided additional
support since 1993.
Cancer Researchers Receive Awards at International Conference in
Cairo
At its fifth annual meeting, held October 2-5 in Cairo, Egypt, the
International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research (INCTR) recognized two
researchers - one from a developing nation and the other from a resource-rich
nation - for their contributions to cancer control.
The Nazli Gad el-Mawla Award, named for a pioneering female Egyptian oncologist, was presented to Dr.
Mahmoud M. Mahfouz of Egypt, who served as chairman of the Kasr Al-Ainy Center
of Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine at Cairo University, where he was
involved in the training and supervision of more than 185 postgraduates for
their master's and medical degrees. The second award - named for Paul Carbone,
a groundbreaking American oncologist who, as the associate director for
clinical oncology at NCI, played a critical role in the development of cancer
chemotherapy - was given to Dr. Franco Cavalli, who has headed the Division of
Oncology at the Ospedale San Giovanni in Bellinzona, Switzerland since 1978 and
has made notable contributions to cancer care in Central America. Hundreds of
health care providers and researchers from more than 50 countries attended the
meeting, including a delegation of 25 physicians from Iraq. In addition to oral
and poster presentations given by individual researchers, representatives from
the World Health Organization, the International Agency for Research on Cancer,
the African Organization on Research and Training in Cancer, the International
Union Against Cancer, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and NCI also
participated in the event. Next year's meeting is scheduled for December in
Chennai, India. INCTR is a nonprofit organization, headquartered in Brussels,
Belgium, that provides cancer prevention and treatment strategies to developing
countries, helps those countries build a research and clinical infrastructure,
and facilitates international collaboration between physicians and scientists.
NCI's OIA provides support to INCTR, and NCI's Dr. Ian Magrath serves as its
president. More information about INCTR can be found at http://www.inctr.org.
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