Under the auspices and presence of
H.E. President of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos,
the George D. Behrakis RESEARCH LAB was honoured to take part in the organisation of the
official Hellenic National event for World Cancer Day by the
Hellenic Cancer Society and the Greek Ministry of Health
EU Commissioner of Food and Health Safety Dr. Vytenis Andriukaitis,
delivered the main speech
“Recent developments in EU tobacco control policies”
President of the Hellenic Cancer Society, Dr. Evangelos Filopoulos gave the opening remarks and introduced honoured guests
Minister of Health, Dr. Andreas Xanthos
President of the “Νew Democracy” party, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis
and co-organizer
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and President of the Association of Friends of Children with Cancer “ELPIDA”, Mrs. Marianna V. Vardinoyiannis

H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos with
Minister of Health Dr. Andreas Xanthos,
EU Commissioner of Health and Food Safety Dr. Vytenis Andriukaitis and
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and President of the Association of Friends of Children with Cancer “ELPIDA”,
Mrs. Marianna V. Vardinoyiannis
During the event, Professor Behrakis moderated a panel discussion between the Rector of the National Kapodistrian University of Athens Professor Dimopoulos, President of the Hellenic Cancer Society, Dr. Filopoulos, ENSP General Secretary Mr. Radu-Loghin and reporter Mr. Michaelides. Closing remarks by Professor Behrakis highlighted the importance of protection from passive exposure to secondhand smoke and the need for enforcement of the smoking ban law in public places in Greece.
About Cancer1,2
- In 2018, cancer was responsible for 9.6 million deaths globally (WHO), an estimated 2 million in Europe
- In Greece, the single most common cause of death from cancer is Lung cancer (20%) while among
- Men, Lung cancer causes 25% of all cancer-related deaths
- Women, Breast cancer causes 16.1% of all cancer-related deaths
Fortunately, 30-50% of cancers are preventable through:
- Avoidance of tobacco use and secondhand exposure to tobacco emissions (responsible for 22% of all cancer-related deaths)
- Maintaining a healthy body weight
- Exercising regularly
- Vaccination against HPV to prevent cervical cancer
Regular exams by your primary care physician are also important for early detection:
- Mammogram is recommended to women over 40 years old, every 1-2 years, based on physician’s evaluation
- PSA checked for prostate cancer in men over 50 years old
- Colonoscopy for prevention for colorectal cancer
References:
- WHO Cancer fact sheet. https://www.who.int/cancer/en/
- IARC WHO Global Cancer Observatory. https://gco.iarc.fr/