INCTR Visitors

Since opening offices in Brussels,
INCTR has hosted several important visitors.

Dr Yves Debaille, a Belgian surgeon who has practiced in Latin America and the Congo, and Professor Raphael Kalengayi, Rector of the University of Mbujimayi in Kinshasa, visited on May 16 to discuss possible collaboration between the INCTR and a new Cancer Center that is being developed in Kinshasa.

Prof. Francoise Meunier, Director General of the EORTC, visited on May 25 to discuss EORTC participation in the Global Alliance for the Cure of Childhood Cancer. Professor Meunier agreed to serve on the Steering Committee of this important new program.

Dr Norman Coleman, Director of the Radiation Therapy Program of the National Cancer Institute, and his Deputy, Dr Frank Govern, visited between June 4-6 to discuss the NCI's Telesynergy program. It was agreed that INCTR would work closely with the Telesynergy initiative program in establishing a telemedicine program with centers in developing countries. The use of computer technology and the Internet to aid communications and support educational and training programs is likely to be a cost-effective mechanism that will become an essential tool in INCTR's future work. Both Drs Coleman and Govern will serve as members of INCTR's Education Committee.

Dr Surendra Bd. B. Shrestha, Mayor of the Banepa Municipality, which is situated near Kathmandu in Nepal, visited between June 24-26 to discuss the possibility of INCTR collaborating with the Nepal Cancer Relief Society in the development of a network for cancer control. Nepal, a country of 22 million people has, according to estimates made by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 1990, some 13,000 new cases of cancer each year. Current estimates from Nepal suggest that this number has been considerably augmented in the last decade. Dr Shrestha will discuss this project at the next meeting of the Nepal Cancer Relief Society and prepare a proposal for consideration by INCTR. Nepal, which has very limited capacity for cancer prevention and treatment at present, but is a relatively small country, could become a model program for the INCTR which may then be applied elsewhere. It enjoys good relationships with its neighbors, including Pakistan, India and China, where INCTR has existing collaborative programs.