The Symposium on “The state of CARcinogen EXposure (CAREX) in Asia Symposium, Dec. 15th and 20th, 2021, Online” was a successful event and considered as milestone in APOCP’s road to cancer prevention and control in Asia and Pacific region.
The two days symposium accumulated 109 person-hours of online participation from many scientists from different countries of Asia addressing the exposure to established carcinogen (CAREX) in their population. The symposium started by a welcome message from Prof. Maqsoud Siddiqi, the APOCP’s current president followed by two major keynote talks 1) Dr. Roland Wedekind, Deputy Branch Head, The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Lyon France who presented on “Overview of occupational carcinogens identified by the Monographs program and high-priority occupationally relevant agents proposed for evaluation during 2020-24” and Dr. CHERYL PETERS, Co-Principal Investigator, CAREX Canada, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Preventive Oncology & Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canad who presented on “CAREX Canada, the plan, the experience, and the achievements”. During the two days, the activities related to CAREX in South Korea was presented by Prof. Dong-Hee Koh, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, International St. Mary’s Hospital, Catholic Kwandong and activties related to CAREX in Turkey presented by Prof. Engin Tutkun, Yozgat Bozok University, Department of Public health, Turkey. The details of the presentations were screen-recorded and can be accessed at the following addresses:
The symposium’ Young Investigator Award went to Ms. Truong Thi Thuy Dung, a Ph.D. Students from University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam.
To further promote the CAREX activities in Asia:
- It was decided to have a regular and recurring symposium in the future. The Korean Society of Cancer Prevention (KSCP) will host the next symposium (the second CAREX Asia Symposium) as a side session in its annual meeting that will be held in November 2022 (further details will be announced soon).
- The team from Turkey were keen to offer to host another of the CAREX Asia Symposium in future (possibility the third CAREX Asia symposium and in year 2023).
- The Asian Pacific Journal of Environment and Cancer as the sponsor of the event will be dedicated to publish scientific reports of the CAREX Asia Symposiums.