Coordinated Research and the Question of an 'IARC' for the Asian-Pacific?

The stated goal of the APOCP/APJCP is to promote an increased awareness in all areas of cancer prevention and stimulate practical intervention approaches. Whether this should be targeted solely through the publication of the APJCP or also through activities in institutions independently capable of research has yet to be decided by the membership. This will in fact be debated at the forthcoming First General Assembly Conference but we have already argued earlier for an APOCP Training Centre/Practical Prevention Program Pilot Centre and indeed made a practical start. Since the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Union International Contra Cancrum (UICC) are already active in the Asian Pacific the question arises as to what relationship the APOCP should aim for with these international bodies. If they had local offices sited conveniently for efforts specific to this region of the world, coordination and the search for financial support would be greatly facilitated. In particular, one could then envisage an expanded Asian country base for the IARC which would allow greatly enhanced promotion of collaborative projects in our region, with a balanced mix of primary and secondary prevention activities appropriate to the prevailing socioeconomic environments. Possibly under the auspices of the Asian Pacific Federation of Organizations for Cancer Control and Research (APFOCC) through the UICC, the APOCP could act as a local partner to an 'IARC' institute for the Asian Pacific. If this idea is ever to be realised we must promote debate and establish concensus so that our voices can be heard. The question we ask now is whether it should indeed be official policy of the APOCP?