Dr Joseph Akanuwe attended and presented a poster on cancer risk assessment tools at the 5th Biennial Early Diagnosis Research Conference from 11th to 13th February 2019 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole. The theme for the conference was, ‘10 years 0n: accelerating early diagnosis into practice’.
In both the opening and closing remarks, Sara Hiom of CRUK stressed that achieving early diagnosis by tackling late diagnosis of cancer remains important, and that CRUK is focused on the goal of achieving 75% of all cancers being detected at an early stage (stage 1 or 2) in the UK by 2028. To achieve this goal, CRUK will encourage and support research on reducing late stage diagnosis, reducing variations in cancer detection and coordinating efforts around early diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Key note speakers at the conference included Sir Mike Richards CME who spoke on, ‘the importance of screening and early diagnosis in improving cancer survival in England’, and Prof Willie Hamilton from the University Exeter who spoke on, ‘improving earlier diagnosis: reflections and projections from primary care’.
The three day conference closed with the award of prices to outstanding early career and established researchers in the area of early diagnosis of cancer. Joseph is grateful for the support offered by Prof Niro Siriwardena and CaHRU, which made it possible for him to attend this conference.
By Dr Joseph Akanuwe