Lance Armstrong, a retired American professional
road racing cyclist, the only individual to win the Tour de France seven times,
joined efforts with four former U.S.
surgeons general on Wednesday to raise awareness to fight cancer.
Armstrong, a testicular cancer survivor, addressed
the media at the National Call to Action on Cancer Prevention and Survivorship
at the National Press Club, “As a survivor, I think I can say this, we have
taken our eye off the ball,” the cyclist said at the press conference.
Former surgeons general Richard Carmona,
David Satcher, Joycelyn Elders and Antonia Novello took part in the meeting.
The doctors developed a national “call to action” against cancer; prevention
efforts were urged, such as not smoking, eating a better diet, using sunscreen
when in the sun and avoiding indoor tanning beds. It also emphasized the need
to provide better care for the roughly 12 million cancer survivors in the United States.
They also encouraged people to get recommended screening tests o detect tumours
early when they respond best to treatment.
In 1996, Armstrong was diagnosed with
nonseminomatous testicular cancer. The cancer had spread to his lungs, abdomen
and brain. The cyclist underwent surgery on his brain tumours and an
orchiectomy to remove his diseased testicles. Doctors combined the chemotherapeutic
regimen for Armstrong’s type of cancer with an alternative treatment to
minimize the negative effects of the drug Bleomycin.
About 20,000 people die of cancer every day
worldwide. Cancer also is increasing in developing countries as people embrace
habits linked to cancer such as smoking and fattier diets.
Almost 4,000 people are diagnosed with
cancer daily in the U.S.
Among men, the three most commonly
diagnosed cancers are prostate, lung and colorectal cancers in developed
countries and lung, stomach and liver cancer in developing countries.
“It’s time for us as a society to stand up
and renew the war on cancer,” said Armstrong at the press conference. “It’s all
about modernizing the approach.”
