In 2015, the Oman Cancer Association was approached by the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) to develop a joint partnership to become the center of excellence in cancer prevention and control for the Eastern Mediterranean, GCC and Eastern African countries. This collaboration was designed to establish a humanitarian program in cancer prevention, diagnosis and control in the form of the International Cancer Prevention Consortium (ICPC). The idea of the ICPC started at the University of Nebraska and would not have been possible without the support of the Fred & Pamela Buffet Cancer Center and the Medical Center of the University of Nebraska, and that of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Development of Oman.

No nation alone will be able to treat its way out of this disease; it will require coordinating a unified and comprehensive public health response. ICPC’s goal is to create a strong network at local, regional and global level, in order to develop sound strategies and programs for cancer prevention and control.  The ICPC activities, which are aligned with OCA’s vision and mission, will be crucial in the face of an ever-increasing rise in cancers in the next 20 years. The developing world will be disproportionately affected, even as these countries are the least prepared to deal with the social and economic ramifications of cancer. To tackle this, the alliance will initially focus on the East Mediterranean and East Africa regions.

The ICPC will bring U.S. experts from major cancer centers and universities together with colleagues from these regions to formulate response strategies, implement activities and monitor the impact on public health. The ICPC seeks to scale the existing infrastructure into a high-impact public-private partnership that will include top cancer clinicians and scientists, governments, corporate partners, and regional experts, all with the goal of saving lives.

Cancer prevention is one of the main pillars of cancer control, especially in the Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), where the needs in cancer care and management are difficult to meet. Hence, in OCA’s human resource development programs we are also including healthcare providers from LMIC locations, to empower them, especially in palliative care management, which is extremely necessary in those countries.

In February 2017, the Oman Cancer Association hosted the 4th meeting of this young consortium, which is steadily growing not only in the number of participating countries but also in the number of programs offered. The success of this project will have a positive impact in prevention and cancer control and will support the cancer patients, survivors, their families and the community at large.