Cancer is a silent disease in Africa and in the developing world. World Health Organization (WHO) statistics shows that cancer kills more people in Africa than HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria combined. This is not a well-known fact, and a very disturbing one, especially since cancer diagnostics and treatment are of very poor standard in most African countries. Take for example Ghana - a country with more than 23 million people. They only have four oncologists to diagnose and treat cancer patients. WHO estimates that if we don’t take act now, more than 11 million Africans may die of cancer in 2020.

Can we prevent this from happening? Absolutely. Recently I was at the World Economic Forum on Africa summit in Cape Town, where I was one of the initiators in setting up a session to discuss the topic of cancer and non-communicable diseases in Africa. Several of the speakers pointed out that raising awareness of cancer and taking preventive measures as campaigns against tobacco smoking, may save hundred thousands of lives in Africa.

To follow up the Africa summit we are setting up a private-public coalition of international NGOs, cancer centres, governments, World Economic Forum and biopharma companies to develop a broad partnership to improve the cancer care in Africa. As a start, we are trying to set up projects in cooperation with the Rwandan government, and this may be suitable as a model for other countries in Africa.

The involved parties so far are AfrOx, American Cancer Society, Lance Armstrong Foundation, Oslo Cancer Cluster, Oslo University Hospital Cancer Centre, Norwegian Cancer Society, and facilitation by the World Economic Forum. Our work will build on a sustainable (non-donor driven) engagement in the region, where the Ministry of Health of Rwanda and Rwandan health personnel are in the driving seat. A couple of ideas on concrete projects are a tobacco control initiative in Rwanda and training health personnel in early diagnosis of cancer. We are also planning to make a health education movie to create awareness of cancer as a hidden epidemic in Africa, and show what each individual can do to prevent cancer and other non-communicable diseases.

In the end I will use this opportunity to honour the important work of Lance Armstrong Foundation and their global cancer campaign LIVESTRONG. They are hosting a Global Cancer Summit in Dublin in August where I hope to attend to discuss the silent disease of cancer in the developing world - not only Africa. It is important that we all stand together and make a commitment to the global fight against cancer.

About the Author:
Bjarte Reve, (36) CEO of Oslo Cancer Cluster, Norway, is nominated as a Young Global Leader 2009 by the World Economic Forum, Geneva. He is also in the board of AfrOX, an NGO set up to improve cancer care in Africa.