International Academy of Oral Oncology launches its India Chapter

Bengaluru : International academy of oral oncology (IAOO)  a multi-disciplinary international organization with its head office in New York launched the India Chapter of IAOO in Bengaluru amidst an august gathering of experts in the field of Oral Oncology. This academic forum brings together clinicians and scientists, working on issues related to the cause, epidemiology, prevention, biology and management of oral cancer.

According to Dr. Sanjeev Nair, president of the IAOO India chapter, "Formation of this multi-disciplinary forum that not only includes the professionals but also the patient advocacy group and NGOs is anticipated to sustain the various anti-oral cancer efforts that will be discussed at the congress". A series of twelve IAOO regional meeting were carried out around the country during the past year to improve awareness of oral cancer both among the public and the professionals.

Dr. Moni Abraham Kuriakose, President of Indian Head & Neck Cancer Society and Professor as well as Director of Surgical Oncology at Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Center Narayana Health City gave an overview of the International Academy of Oral Oncology and announced that India, where oral cancer is the leading cause of cancer related morbidity and mortality, will be hosting the 6^th World Oral Cancer Congress in Bengaluru from 17^th to 20^th May, 2017. Previous five biennial congresses of IAOO have been successfully held in four continents; Amsterdam (2007), Toronto (2009), Singapore (2011), Rhodes (2013) and Sao Paulo (2015).

"For India, the world oral cancer congress is conceived not just as an event, but a mission to eradicate oral cancer", said Dr. Moni Abraham Kuriakose, Chairman of the IAOO world congress. This is the first time that India will be hosting the International conference on oral oncology. Based on the theme 'Frontiers in Oral Oncology', the conference in Bengaluru will see participants from around 33 countries and more than a 1000 delegates from across the globe.

"I congratulate the International Academy of Oral Oncology on the launch of their India Chapter and welcome the fact that the 6th World Oral Cancer Congress is being held here with the mission of eradicating oral cancer in India. We, at Biocon, have been running a crusade against oral cancer through patient outreach programs of our Oncology division as well as early detection and screening initiatives of our CSR arm, Biocon Foundation. The comprehensive campaign against one of the most common forms of cancer in the country is facilitating regular screening of vulnerable populations to detect the disease on time and ensuring better treatment outcomes and longer survival", said Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMD, Biocon

Oral Cancer is the most common cancer in Indian male and it is the No. 1 cause of cancer related death in Indian men. India harbours two-fifth of the world's oral cancer. Every year one lakh new mouth cancers are diagnosed and half of them die within 12 months of diagnosis. It is unfortunate that oral cancer is not such a serious public health issue despite the fact that it is preventable and can be diagnosed at early stage.

"This forum not only gives us the opportunity to learn from the world leaders about the state-of-art oral cancer care but also provides a platform to share the unique perspectives of Indian clinicians and scientists that was gained by understanding and managing large number of oral cancer patients", said Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi secretary of world congress.

The inaugural message of the congress will be given by Nobel Laurette Professor Amartya Sen, who himself was a victim of oral cancer. The congress with the theme 'Frontiers in oral oncology' will have eight keynote lectures given by leading authorities in the field. This include Prof. Amartya Sen- inaugural message, Ann Gillenwater, MD Anderson Cancer Centre, on new technology in early detection of oral cancer, Jatin Shah, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre on Shifting paradigms in staging of oral cancer, Luiz Kowalski, Camaro Margo Cancer Centre, Sao Paulo on Global strategies to improve outcome of oral cancer, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon, Bangalore on Affordable innovation, Barbera Wollenberg, University of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany on Immunotherapy of oral cancer, Pankaj Chaturvedi from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai on primary prevention of oral cancer, Devi Prasad Shetty, Narayana Health, Bengaluru on affordable healthcare, Saman Warnakulasurya, of University of London on management of oral pre-cancer lesions and Dennis Rohner from Zurich, Switzerland on frontiers in maxillofacial reconstruction.

There will be 15 focused symposia, 6 panel discussion, 14 different country symposia and 5 pre-conference workshops. The other highlights of the conference will be:

(1) Oral cancer science symposium organized at Indian Institute of Science.

(2) Oral cancer early detection training program for primary care physicians and dentists carried out with the support of Karnataka health ministry and Rajiv Gandhi Health Science University.

(3) Live surgery demonstration of computer-aided jaw reconstruction at Narayana Health City.

(4) Training of jaw and face reconstruction using cadavers at M S Ramaiah Medical College.

The conference has organized a unique academic hosting program where the delegates and faculty attending the conference will have opportunity to interact directly with faculty and students at various cancer centers around the country. As innovation is the way to improve outcomes, Dr. Vishal Rao from Bangalore Institute of Oncology is organizing a Hackathon for students from various medical and engineering colleges of the country to identify practical solutions for issues related to oral cancer care.