SEMCO is affiliated to the Egyptian Foundation for Cancer Research (EFCR) and was founded in collaboration with ICEDOC. Behind it is the experience of ICEDOC’s Experts in Cancer Without Borders in many parts of the world.
We believe that regional scientific and medical activity should rise from the region itself. The role of SEMCO’s executives is to serve colleagues in the region and to build collaboration with regional and international organizations and societies. SEMCO adopts ICEDOC’s three Cs: cooperation, collaboration and coordination with all local, regional and international organizations and cancer societies. Its role is not to compete, but to cooperate.
Why SEMCO?
The South and East Mediterranean extends from Turkey to Morocco and Mauritania. It sits at the meeting point of many regions and has mixed characteristics that show in cancer control and training too. It is Europe’s southern and eastern neighbor, and also part of Africa and, through Turkey, of Asia.
National incomes range from small, high-income populations such as the Emirates and Qatar to larger lower-middle-income countries such as Egypt and upper-middle-income countries such as Lebanon. Cancer management facilities, training and research opportunities, and even the profile of early and advanced cases do not necessarily follow income. Cancer of the cervix is not among the most common cancers in Egypt, while stage III and IV cervical cancer is a common problem in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women across the whole region. Hepatocellular carcinoma following hepatitis C is a national cancer problem in Egypt, which calls for more professional and public education, prevention and early detection.
Most cancer care providers were trained on Euro-American curricula, at home or in neighboring countries, and some in Western Europe or the USA. Medical education is mostly in English or French, with some in Arabic or mixed English and Turkish. English is understood by most physicians, but French, Arabic and Turkish must be taken into account in training, particularly for nursing.
Many consultants and university staff already belong to international bodies and attend their conferences. Yet there is a lack of local, regional and international coordination; a lack of training in multidisciplinary, balanced approaches suited to real regional conditions; and a lack of capacity for relevant research and clinical trials, although the region could be a considerable contributor to cancer research.