Cancer prevention for global health: A report from the ASPO international cancer prevention interest group

As cancer incidence and mortality rates increase in low- and middle-income countries, the need for cancer prevention and control research directed to these countries becomes increasingly important. The American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO) is a community of professionals in cancer prevention and control whose mission is to "foster the continuing development of investigators and the exchange and translation of scientific information to reduce the cancer burden." In the session presented at the ASPO 36th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC in March 2012, chaired by Drs. Frank Meyskens and Dejana Braithwaite, Dr. Paolo Boffetta discussed some of the achievements in global cancer prevention and suggested that future efforts focus on three major causes of cancer: tobacco-use, infections, and overweight/obesity. Dr. Timothy Rebbeck presented an overview of prostate cancer research in sub-Saharan Africa and highlighted how the complex nature of prostate cancer etiology and outcomes can be addressed through capacity-building research partnerships. Cancer is an emerging public health challenge in developing countries because of the aging and expansion of the population and increased prevalence of cancer risk factors such as smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, and reproductive factors. There are opportunities to reduce the growing cancer burden through the development of research capacity and the application of resource-appropriate interventions.