The 8th African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer – AORTIC Conference was held in Cairo – Egypt, form Nov 30 to Dec 02, 2011, in the spectacular venue of the Intercontinental City Stars Hotel of Heliopolis.

The Conference, very well organized for scientific as well as social activities, spanned from epidemiologic studies to pathogenetic mechanisms, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic strategies and preventive programs of  cancers in the Africa Continent, as from the scientific program. 

Besides conventional pathogen-related cancers, major emphasis has been given to breast and prostate cancers, which are conventionally associated to genetic predisposing factors.

Key issues have been the need to establish Cancer registries along with the relevance of implementing cancer screening (particularly for cervical cancer) and palliative care programs, as well as radiation oncology unit.

A special session has been dedicated to the recently NCI-funded EMBLEM project focus on revisiting the Burkitt’s lymphoma epidemiology and pathogenesis with the most advanced, newly established technologies. The session has been organized and coordinated by Dr Mbulaiteye, who is the PI of the EMBLEM project, whose aims and activities are detailed at the NCI webpage https://emblem.cancer.gov/collaboration/    

An interview to Dr Mbulaiteye by Ecancer.tv is available at IAC Blog page on EMBLEM.