FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 26, 2009

CONTACT: Jenny Heumann
jenny.heumann@asco.org
571-483-1354

Volunteer Cancer Doctors to Provide Hands-On Oncology Training in Developing Countries

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – In an effort to improve cancer care in underserved regions of the world, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), in partnership with Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO), today launched a new humanitarian program, the International Cancer Corps (ICC). The ICC will enable member oncologists from ASCO to volunteer their time to teach in medical facilities in developing countries.

ASCO’s partnership with HVO, another international medical education organization, will give ASCO’s member oncologists an opportunity to spend one to four weeks at medical care centers in developing countries, sharing their medical expertise and building long-term, supportive relationships with the doctors who provide cancer care in these countries.

Medical professionals who are trained and credentialed in oncology, including physicians, laboratory professionals, and nurses, will be eligible to apply for the ICC program. While ICC volunteers will not treat patients directly, their value will be in sharing their clinical knowledge and skills with their international colleagues. Upon their return to the United States, ASCO’s member volunteers will continue to share ASCO’s professional resources with the hospital to help sustain and improve cancer care in the region.

“There is a severe shortage of clinicians trained in oncology in developing countries, where cancer incidence is increasing,” said ASCO President Douglas W. Blayney, MD. “Through the International Cancer Corps, ASCO members will be able to contribute their professional skills in an important and meaningful way to help people with cancer around the world. In addition, the long-term relationships that ASCO and ASCO volunteers develop with their overseas counterparts will foster mutual learning and growth for years to come.”

The first International Cancer Corps training program with HVO will open in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. With a population of nearly 7.3 million people, Honduras has less than 20 trained medical, radiation, and surgical oncologists. Over half of the population lives below the international poverty line, and health care for urban and rural poor Hondurans is extremely limited. More than 20 percent of the population has no access to health care at all.

Each practice setting will have its own unique challenges and needs. In Honduras, the focus will be on developing a training program for both adult and pediatric oncology at three centers in Tegucigalpa. ASCO volunteers, depending on individual expertise and skills, will provide teaching and training to staff, residents, and students in the following areas: pathology; cancer control; medical, surgical and radiation oncology seminars and workshops; curriculum development; and student and resident education.

Each year, ASCO and HVO plan to expand the program to an additional developing country, while remaining firmly committed to multi-year volunteer and educational support of already-established sites. Volunteer safety also will be a part of the assessment process for each additional site, and ASCO and HVO are closely monitoring the current political situation in Honduras.

“There is a lot of work to be done, and a positive way to support training in oncology is through side-by-side demonstration and interaction,” said Hernan Sabio, MD, Honduras Program Co-Director and an oncologist at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. “The International Cancer Corps provides the opportunity for a single ASCO member to positively affect an expanded physician community and patient population.”

###

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world’s leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer. With more than 27,000 members, ASCO is committed to improving cancer care through scientific meetings, educational programs and peer-reviewed journals. For ASCO information and resources, visit www.asco.org/presscenter. Patient-oriented cancer information is available at www.cancer.net.

For the past two decades, Health Volunteers Overseas has worked to increase health care access in developing countries through clinical training and education programs in a variety of medical specialties. HVO currently runs 76 programs in 25 resource-poor nations, where volunteers train, mentor and provide critical professional support to health care providers who care for the neediest populations in difficult circumstances.