Armstrong charity to hold cancer summit in Dublin

The cancer charity established by cycling champion Lance Armstrong is to hold an international summit on the disease in Dublin in August.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) said today the aim of the three-day event was to bring together world leaders in “an unprecedented show of solidarity” to secure commitments to make cancer a global priority.

The LAF said it is seeking “to build a global grassroots advocacy movement to influence global action in the fight against cancer”.

LAF founder and chairman Armstrong, who survived testicular cancer in the mid 1990s, will attend the event on August 24-26th following his participation in the Tour of Ireland cycling race which takes place just prior to the summit.

Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd and former US president Bill Clinton have expressed their support for the event, a venue for which has yet to be announced.

"Unless we act on a global level, cancer will be the leading cause of death by 2010," Armstrong said today on the final day of the Amgen Tour of California race, where he is competing in his second race since his return from retirement.

"Our goal is to be the catalyst that brings everyone together to fight cancer - from survivors, like me, to world leaders and policymakers who must commit completely to the effort to avoid a public health catastrophe.

The summit provides an invaluable opportunity to stand up for the 28 million cancer survivors worldwide and to create a unified effort to control cancer through new commitments to action," he said.

Welcoming the announcement, Minister for Health, Mary Harney said: "Cancer Control is a top priority for the Irish Government.

“The themes of the summit fit well with our new national Cancer Control Strategy and anti-tobacco initiatives we have taken, such as the ban on smoking in the workplace,” she said.

Irish Cancer Society chief executive John McCormack said, "We still have a lot to do in the fight against cancer. By 2020, it is estimated there will be more than 40,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed in Ireland.

Mr McCormack said: “We can and must act to reduce the rate of preventable cancer and this summit gives us the opportunity to increase cancer awareness and take actions which will save lives."

The event in Dublin is part of the foundation’s Livestrong Global Cancer Campaign which is seeking to secure international commitments on cancer control.