4th World Conference on Breast Cancer By Carol Secter Close to 600 women and men from all over the world attended the latest World Conference on Breast Cancer in Halifax from June 8th to 12th. There were a large number of breast cancer advocates and activists, as well as health-care providers. A majority of delegates were women who had had breast cancer. This very structured and efficiently-run conference was set up to ensure that all participants took part in a variety of workshops, not being confined to a pre-identified agenda. An "Open Spaces" format for some of the workshops also provided an opportunity for delegates to run their own mini-workshops, with an enormous diversity of content, ranging from the personal (e.g., sex and breast cancer) to the political (e.g., primary prevention). The downside of this programming was that it limited immersing oneself in a specific area of interest. BCAM took part in the conference in two ways: We sent two delegates (I was one) and also sponsored Madeleine Bird, who researched and wrote the report on "Profits in Pink," parts of which have appeared in the BCAM Bulletin. (The full report is accessible on the BCAM website at . Madeleine facilitated a scheduled workshop entitled "Pink Ribbon Blues." The workshop was both dynamic and controversial. According to the evaluations handed in after the workshop, a number of those who attended learned a great deal, but some found it upsetting because it challenged their blind acceptance of the pink ribbon as a "good idea" not worth examining. Others were merely upset, too upset to accept the idea that cause marketing may be as much about corporate image as about fundraising for breast cancer. Much of the focus in the plenary sessions was devoted to hearing from the women and men whose lives had been directly impacted by breast cancer. In addition to speakers who embodied courage and compassion, a political agenda also emerged. Not surprisingly, the need for better care — both in terms of screening and treatment — close to home, was expressed. Danny Meneses, of the Philippine delegation, spoke passionately of the need for primary prevention, and the need for the conference to go back to its original mission, as mandated at the first conference in Kingston. He also invited the conference planners to have the next meeting in the Philippines, thus giving real credibility to the term "World Conference on Breast Cancer." Several staffers from the San Francisco-based Breast Cancer Fundwere at the conference. Through workshops, Open Spaces discussions, and social interchange, the BCAM delegation strengthened its ties with this activist organization, as well as benefiting from their expertise. BCAM's workshop was one controversial aspect at the conference. Another stemmed from an after-dinner speech given by a local politician; it was patronizing in its simplistic and misguided message about what a woman could do to prevent breast cancer. In reaction, some concerned delegates composed a letter of protest and asked others to visit the computer room and sign it. Mysteriously, the letter was subsequently deleted from the computer! A pro-life group set up a booth to link increased risk of breast cancer to abortion. The booth was dismantled after delegates complained. The BCAM delegation was disappointed, but not surprised, to hear that primary prevention was, for the most part, defined in terms of lifestyle choices. This despite the growing numbers of media messages linking environmental toxins to increased risks of disease. In the long run, however, BCAM profited from attending, both in getting our message out and in learning more about the world community of breast cancer. Source: Breast Cancer Action, Montreal Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.