The association celebrates a century of history, research and progress. Oncologist Pierre-Yves Dietrich is our guest.
In the 1920s, cancer was beginning to be better understood medically, but treatments were still rudimentary and the disease remained a taboo subject. At that time, doctors, patients and families sought to create a structure to raise public awareness of this disease and to help those affected. It was in this context that the Geneva League against Cancer was born in 1924. “It is 100 years of an association serving the population, which developed radiotherapy in Geneva and has become over time a support institute,” says Professor Pierre-Yves Dietrich, oncologist at Les Grangettes. He notes the progress made in medicine over the past 15 years and the decline in the mortality curve for men and women. Raising awareness among the population also helps in this regard.
A festival to promote the cause
To mark the occasion this weekend, a series of concerts will take place on Friday and Saturday at the Alhambra. On Saturday in the Old Town, a multitude of activities are planned. “The ambition is to give a message of hope and to transmit information to the population of all ages. The messages are intended to be focused on prevention. One of the League’s objectives is to promote health, because we see that the incidence remains the same, or even increases a little. Knowing that 40% of cancers can be prevented.” A treasure hunt on prevention, for example, will start on Saturday. All the information can be found on the website www.lecrabe.fr.
The oncologist calls for “much better work” in terms of the main risks. “We can mention tobacco, we have difficulty reducing its consumption and we know that it is responsible for 20% to 30% of cancer deaths. We must also pay attention to diet and the sun. We are also starting to see signs of pollution. Our goal is to show everything that individuals can do for their own health.”
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