In 2020, Covid-19 killed 2 million people, cementing its status as one of the deadliest diseases in decades. Fighting it has required an unprecedented diversion of medical resources and minds. Thankfully, it appears that, at least in some parts of the world, the worst is over.
The fight for better health, however, is not. Cancer killed even more people in 2020 – 10 million to be precise, accounting for just under one in six deaths worldwide. World Cancer Day represents a moment to reflect on the burden the disease still exerts on the world, how the pandemic has aggravated it and where to look for hope.
At first glance, the latter might seem distant. First and foremost, mortality rates in cancer patients infected with Covid-19 were significantly higher. Even more complex to manage will be the pandemic’s secondary effects on them.
A key one is diagnosis. Many people will get delayed diagnoses due to backlogs, if they get them at all. According to the Cancer Research, a British charity, a disproportionately high number of people will simply not realise they have the disease, either because they have normalised symptoms, or because they are being treated by non-oncological doctors, due to disruptions to cancer screening, as well as a reluctance to access physical medical care for fear of contracting Covid-19. According to one US study, new cancer diagnoses fell by 13 per cent in 2020. It is not hard to see why; it also found that colonoscopies, critical for detecting colorectal cancer, decreased by 45 per cent.
As the burden of Covid-19 is lifted, doctors will be faced with significant backlogs. Urgency, funding and harnessing modern approaches will be crucial to working through them. This could be where hope starts to creep in. Crisis spurs technological advances, and many of the pandemic’s lessons could be used to fight cancer.
The success of the Oxford-AstraZeneca viral vector vaccine against Covid-19 has been used by scientists in the UK to develop an anti-cancer one. Indeed, the mRNA technology behind the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines was first developed as a possible means to treat cancer. Its development would never have been as fast if it wasn’t for Covid-19.
And efforts not linked to the pandemic have also been seeing good results. Recent findings show that CAR T-cell therapy could constitute a cure for a number of blood cancers. Last year, the EU launched its “Beating Cancer Plan”, which, among other initiatives will allocate more than $4.5 billion to tackle the disease. The bloc has good form when it comes fighting the disease, being an early pioneer of laws controlling tobacco and other hazardous materials. On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden announced plans to reduce its death rate by at least 50 per cent over the next quarter century.
On an individual level, many of the strategies to mitigate risk from Covid-19 also help fight cancer, be they boosting immunity through a healthy diet, exercise or quitting smoking. Perhaps, the education of Covid-19 could turn out to be the biggest weapon against cancer of all.
We are far off from being in a position to bid farewell to upcoming World Cancer Days. But diseases, even the deadliest, can be beaten, and we should all support and laud the patients, carers, doctors, medical teams and scientists working to do so.
World cancer day stats
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Details
Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny
Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books
Results
Male 51kg Round 1
Dias Karmanov (KAZ) beat Mabrook Rasea (YEM) by points 2-1.
Male 54kg Round 1
Yelaman Sayassatov (KAZ) beat Chen Huang (TPE) TKO Round 1; Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) beat Fahad Anakkayi (IND) RSC Round 2; Qais Al Jamal (JOR) beat Man Long Ng (MAC) by points 3-0; Ayad Albadr (IRQ) beat Yashar Yazdani (IRI) by points 2-1.
Male 57kg Round 1
Natthawat Suzikong (THA) beat Abdallah Ondash (LBN) by points 3-0; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Ahmed Al Jubainawi (IRQ) by points 2-1; Hamed Almatari (YEM) beat Nasser Al Rugheeb (KUW) by points 3-0; Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) beat Yu Xi Chen (TPE) by points 3-0.
Men 86kg Round 1
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) beat Mohammad Al Khatib (PAL) by points 2-1
Men 63.5kg Round 1
Noureddin Samir (UAE) beat Polash Chakma (BAN) RSC Round 1.
Female 45kg quarter finals
Narges Mohammadpour (IRI) beat Yuen Wai Chan (HKG) by points.
Female 48kg quarter finals
Szi Ki Wong (HKG) beat Dimple Vaishnav (IND) RSC round 2; Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Nastaran Soori (IRI) by points; Shabnam Hussain Zada (AFG) beat Tzu Ching Lin (TPE) by points.
Female 57kg quarter finals
Nguyen Thi Nguyet (VIE) beat Anisha Shetty (IND) by points 2-1; Areeya Sahot (THA) beat Dana Al Mayyal (KUW) RSC Round 1; Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Ching Yee Tsang (HKG) by points 3-0.
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
