September has been established as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

It is a rare disease, according to the Hellenic Society of Pediatric Hematology – Oncology (EEPAO), but with serious consequences for both patients and their families. A disease that can be defeated but often with painful and long-term efforts and serious immediate and delayed complications.

The numbers are indicative: 300-350 new diagnoses every year in Greece, 35000 throughout Europe with 6000 children dying due to cancer. The Pediatric Oncologists-Hematologists, Elena Solomou and Antonis Kattamis (Professor NKUA) report that in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the research community turning to a new path of research approach.

In Lancet Oncology, the work of Sheena Mukkada and partners has shown that the scientific community is united for the common good at this difficult time.  This prospective study analyzed data from children and adolescents (<19 years) with cancer and COVID-19 around the world.  Typically, data from approximately 1500 patients from 131 hospitals in 45 countries, including patients from Greece, were used. 259 (19.9%) of the patients had a severe or critical infection, while 50 (3.8%) patients died.  Comparing the data with adults, mortality in adults with cancer is 28%, much higher than in children.

Childhood cancer must be a priority for any strategic planning of each country’s health system. These diseases in childhood are treatable, with overall survival at 80% in high-income countries. But when the right resources are lacking, such as in low-income and middle-income countries (where about three-quarters of the global number of childhood cancer is recorded),  only 20-30% of individuals have long-term survival. Delays in early detection, poor access to diagnostic services in the absence of full access to required cancer medicines, higher rates of comorbidity (e.g. malnutrition, infections and poverty) as well as refusal or abandonment of treatment are common, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. All these factors result in lower survival rates and higher morbidity rates than in high-income countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequalities in access to each country’s health system despite efforts to tackle childhood cancer. With the mandate given by governments in the 2018 cancer resolution, the WHO, together with major international childhood cancer hospitals, set a goal of treating at least 60% of all children with cancer worldwide and reducing pain for all children.

The data from this study enable us to understand that during the pandemic there is a unique opportunity to develop and implement strategies tailored to specific health systems and to reduce inequalities in diagnosis and access to medication in children with cancer globally.

The scientific community makes concerted efforts to achieve high cure rates, with the best possible quality of life and the minimum possible long-term complications. Genetic and molecular biology are now the necessary element of diagnosis and treatment in a large part of neoplasms of children and adolescents. Personalized treatment, which will further increase the chances of cure for young patients, reducing immediate and ultimate toxicity, is a goal that may become a reality in the near future.

In this context, HSPHO has taken initiatives to strengthen cooperation between the oncology departments of the Territory and the recognition of our country as an equal member of European scientific organizations. It participates in international collaborative treatment protocols, thus ensuring access to innovative medicines and therapies under proper and organized supervision. Of course, the process of Greece’s full, equal access to each of these protocols comes at a high cost. Fortunately, however, in the long, arduous struggle of the children and their families, over the years, valuable helpers and supporters, associations and volunteers have stood by.

The understaffing of the Pediatric Hematology / Oncology Departments in medical, nursing and paramedical staff, the lack of public structures for targeted molecular tests, the lack of financial coverage of specialized tests and the difficulty of access to innovative medicines are problems for which we have repeatedly informed the competent bodies.

Each of us can help to the best of our ability! You can become a volunteer blood donor, or volunteer bone marrow donor, or help associations and organizations supporting children and their families, either through sponsorships or by donating some of his time.

Any effort to improve the care of children with cancer is welcome and important!

Learn more:

https://www.iatronet.gr/article/104037/paidiatrikos-karkinos-kai-pandhmia-covid19

https://www.iatronet.gr/eidiseis-nea/epistimi-zwi/news/52168/septemvrios-minas-efaisthitopoiisis-gia-ton-karkino-tis-paidikis-ilikias.html

Conceptualizing the Mechanisms of Social Determinants of Health: A Heuristic Framework to Inform Future Directions for Mitigation

A large body of scientific work examines the mechanisms through which social determinants of health (SDOH) shape health inequities. However, the nuances described in the literature are infrequently reflected in the applied frameworks that inform health policy and programming.

We synthesize extant SDOH research into a heuristic framework that provides policymakers, practitioners, and researchers with a customizable template for conceptualizing and operationalizing key mechanisms that represent intervention opportunities for mitigating the impact of harmful SDOH.

In light of scarce existing SDOH mitigation strategies, the framework addresses an important research-to-practice translation gap and missed opportunity for advancing health equity.

Conceptualizing the Mechanisms of Social Determinants of Health!

I. SDOH
Health inequities are most often understood as associated with the social determinants of health (SDOH)

II. Opportunity
A practical, heuristic framework for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers is needed to serves as a roadmap for conceptualizing and targeting the key mechanisms of SDOH influence

  • Unifying principles

1. SDOH are underlying causes of health inequities
-> Meaningful community engagement in data generation and interpretation for understanding and mitigating underlying health inequity drivers and multilevel resilience factors

2. SDOH shape health inequities through contextual influences
-> Development, evaluation, and scale up of multilevel interventions that address the mechanisms of SDOH at the structural, psychosocial, and clinical/biomedical levels

3. SDOH contextual disadvantage is not deterministic
-> Adoption of individualized/differentiated, decentralized, and community-based service delivery models

4. SDOH shape health over the life course
-> Proactive intervention focused on prevention and health promotion as well as restorative care to maintain and improve physical, mental, and psychosocial functioning and quality of life

5. SDOH operate through biological embedding
-> Greater prioritization of harmful SDOH mechanisms and mitigation of their biological impact in clinical education and practice, including investment in biomarkers for early detection of and intervention on emerging disease trajectories

6.SDOH operate intergenerationally
-> Prioritization of family-based approaches to restorative health care, prevention, and health promotion

7. SDOH shape clustering and synergies of health inequities
-> Greater integration of comprehensive, interdisciplinary, team-based health services delivered within a value-based framework and at the top of providers’ licenses

8. SDOH mechanisms to produce health inequities
-> Departure from vulnerability- and deficiency-focused paradigms for understanding health inequities toward multilevel resilience-focused paradigms for reducing health inequitiess

An Organizing Framework of SDOH Mechanisms

1. Underlying causal factors
-> Two distinct classes of social influence: SDOH capital and SDOH processes

2. Mediating factors
-> Two mechanisms: environmental and behavioral exposure and biological susceptibility

3. Moderating factors
-> Resilience – as collective action that supports the ability of communities to thrive when confronted with structural challenge

4. Health inequity outcomes
-> The impact of SDOH mechanisms on health inequities is dependent on the broader patterns of morbidity within the community of interest

Check out the article by Marco Thimm-KaiserAdam Benzekri and Vincent Guilamo-Ramos here:

https://lnkd.in/e57GXthQ

Cancer Effects on Caregivers and Work

A CANCER DIAGNOSIS RESULTS IN A LOT OF CHANGES for both the patient and the caregiver.

For the caregiver, those changes can include adjusting work schedules, which, in turn, can affect their finances.

The unexpected expense of cancer treatments coupled with the lack of paid leave can be a one-two punch to caregivers’ financial resources. “For many caregivers, keeping debt low or nonexistent may not be possible,” says Cathy J. Bradley, a health economics researcher and co-author of a study titled “Working, Low Income, and Cancer Caregiving: Financial and Mental Health Impacts,” published online April 12 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. “The Federal Reserve reports that many households would have difficulty absorbing $400 in unexpected costs. Cancer treatments are among the most expensive treatments in the United States.”

In many instances, caregivers can take paid leave to care for their loved one, which can mitigate financial hardship, but that’s not always the case. Often, caregivers are faced with taking unpaid leave or having to stop working altogether—both of which negatively impact their finances.

According to Bradley’s study, 35% of cancer caregivers stopped working and 30% saw their household debt increase. Those in households earning less than the median household income were more likely to experience decreased income and stop work than peers in similar financial situations who were caring for people with conditions other than cancer.

“Data on reasons for stopping work was not part of this study, but we speculate that caregiving demands are greater for cancer patients,” says Bradley, an associate dean of the Colorado School of Public Health and deputy director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center. “We also speculate that lower-income households cannot pay for additional help so that the caregiver can continue working.”

A key element forcing caregivers to stop work is no paid leave at their workplace. According to the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), studies show that cancer patients with paid leave have higher rates of job retention and lower rates of financial burden. However, 48% of caregivers report experiencing problems related to financial pressure caused by not being able to work or having to reduce work hours to care for their loved one.

“Cancer treatment is so all-consuming for the patient but also for the family and anyone who is caregiving for the patient,” says Jennifer Hoque, associate policy principal on access to care for ACS CAN. “And that includes all-consuming with finances and time. Time is money. The more time you have to spend caregiving for the cancer patient, the more potential for lost wages and other money you’re spending. And it’s not just time caring for the patient. It’s also transportation, taking the patient to and from their treatments. Sometimes it’s lodging because sometimes you have to stay overnight.”

To help cancer caregivers, ACS CAN supports legislation providing for paid leave in the workplace so everyone has access to it and can help their family members. The Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act was introduced in Congress on May 17. If passed, it would provide workers with a maximum of 12 weeks of financial support during a family or medical leave from work. In addition, 11 states and Washington, D.C., have enacted paid leave laws.

Finding assistance is crucial for cancer caregivers. “Caregivers provide a tremendous service to their families and society at large with very few supports,” Bradley says. “As a result, they suffer not only physical and mental consequences, but they also suffer financial consequences that last for years. Lower-income households take on the greatest financial burden and may never recover.”

If you’re caring for a cancer patient, it’s important to find out what type of leave is available. For instance, the Family and Medical Leave Act currently in effect provides 12 weeks of unpaid leave during a one-year period. Although leave is unpaid, the law protects your job while you’re away from work. Also, find out how flexible your employer is in allowing remote work or changing your work hours for doctor appointments and treatments.

Other assistance may be available through local, state and national programs such as the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation, HealthWell Foundation, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Patient navigators at your loved one’s hospital or cancer treatment center can also be a valuable resource in advising you about financial assistance.

Cancer Effects on Caregivers and Work

Essential cancer screening and diagnosis services must be included in UHC schemes to reduce mortality

The earlier a cancer is detected, the easier it is to treat successfully, often with fewer side effects, and at a lower cost. In many high-income regions, such as Europe and the United States, survival rates for cancer have risen in past decades, in part thanks to routine screening that detects cancers at an early stage. It’s especially true for common cancers like cervical, breast, colorectal, and prostate, where routine screening offers a clear test and methodology for early detection.

Investing in routine screening programmes for asymptomatic cancers as well as the early detection of symptomatic cancers and diagnostic and referral services is, therefore, a cost-efficient approach to mitigate the public health costs of cancer. These are estimated to reach USD 458 billion globally by 2030, and cut the projected global economic cost of cancers, estimated at USD 25.2 trillion for the period 2020-2050.

Such investments in services must be accompanied by clear communication about the necessity and benefits of such measures. It is also critical that the general public have access to reliable information on possible early signs of certain cancers (notably, breast, cervical, lung, prostate, ovarian and testicular) and primary healthcare staff must be equipped to spot signs of cancer – with rapid referral options for screening and then treatment.

Unfortunately, many people around the world still lack access to these essential services. In low- and middle-income countries in particular, cancer prevention, diagnosis and care remain a luxury that is out of reach for many.

A significant number of people, particularly those from low-income communities, face barriers that prevent them from accessing necessary health services, such as the distance to healthcare facilities and costs of healthcare – with the risk of financial toxicity if they must be paid for out of pocket.

A weak health system and an absence of knowledgeable healthcare providers can also stand in the way of timely cancer detection and diagnosis.

To close these gaps, routine screening, cancer diagnosis and referral services must be included in health insurance benefits packages.

UHC cannot be achieved unless everyone has access to affordable cancer care. At the same time, without the benefits offered by UHC, access to potentially life-saving screenings remains limited. This means someone may die of a cancer that could have been detected and treated at an earlier stage, but either an early detection programme was not available or that person could not access it, for financial or other reasons. A cost-efficient national cancer control plan with essential services – including routine screening and diagnosis – covered by national health insurance schemes available to everyone – can break down these barriers to accessibility, availability and affordability.

Indeed, often cancer treatment by national health insurance schemes but not screening. Issues of stigma that surround many cancer tests (for instance, those that concern sexual organs) therefore compound concerns about cost or fears of a diagnosis (e.g. cancer may be considered a death sentence, so why get tested?) to prevent high numbers of people getting a timely diagnosis, resulting in many patients presenting with late-stage cancers.

At the second High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage taking place on 21 September 2023, Governments are expected to adopt a set of new commitments to accelerate UHC implementation. This meeting will provide an opportunity for UICC to advocate for including comprehensive cancer prevention and control measures in UHC benefits packages.

In preparation for this pivotal meeting, UICC reached out to its members to learn about their concerns and inform its advocacy strategy in the lead-up to the UN HLM on UHC.

UICC is also organising a series of Virtual Dialogues intended to facilitate discussions around UHC and its impact on cancer control. The first dialogue organised in early May looked at UHC and prevention. A second Virtual Dialogue on UHC and early detection will take place on 20 July, and look at examples of successful advocacy to include screening and early detection in UHC benefit packages (for instance, mammography reimbursement in Algeria) and the use of legislation to support screening and early detection programmes and referral to treatment.

Read more :

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/essential-cancer-screening-diagnosis-services-must-included-uhc-schemes%3FtrackingId=yU3y0j6Af4hHzyucBwUSyw%253D%253D/?trackingId=yU3y0j6Af4hHzyucBwUSyw%3D%3D

 

Quality Questions:When you are diagnosed with cancer, how can you be sure you’re getting appropriate care?

IN APRIL 2020, truck driver John Lex was waiting to load up his tractor trailer at a Walmart distribution center in LaGrange, Georgia, when he felt a severe, sharp pain in his lower abdomen. The self-proclaimed “stubborn guy” figured if he went home to lie down, he would feel better. However, by the time he arrived home in Monroe, Georgia, the pain had amped up to “an eight out of 10.” He asked his wife to drive him to the local hospital’s emergency room.

Doctors there thought his pain might be appendicitis, but a CT scan revealed something unexpected: a mass in his colon. “The doctor told me that they believed it was cancerous, but he wouldn’t know for sure until they got in there,” says Lex, now 56, who had immediate surgery to remove the mass and have his colon resected. He would need to wait for results from the biopsy to get confirmation, but “[the doctor] was pretty confident that it was cancer,” Lex says

Three days after surgery, on April 25, 2020, these suspicions were confirmed. Lex’s tumor was malignant—with 19 positive lymph nodes. He had stage IIIC colon cancer. He was referred to a medical oncologist at Piedmont Walton Hospital in Monroe—the same hospital where he had his surgery. He completed a six-month course of chemotherapy with FOLFOX (folinic acid, fluorouracil and oxaliplatin), but in January 2021, the scans showed that the tumors were back in his colon, as well as the lining of his abdominal cavity.

At that time, his oncologist suggested another chemotherapy combination and referred Lex to a colleague at Atlanta-based Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University, which is less than 30 miles away from Lex’s home, for a second opinion. Winship Cancer Institute has earned the National Cancer Institute’s highest honor—a comprehensive cancer center designation—which signifies significant research infrastructure along with the capacity to provide high-quality treatments to patients. The oncologist at Winship confirmed the treatment plan. Lex continued to be treated by his original oncologist, satisfied that he was receiving appropriate care.

Treatment Close to Home

Like an estimated 80% to 85% of people with cancer in the U.S., Lex sought treatment at a community cancer center. Community cancer centers typically provide care through oncology practices or networks, offering treatment at local hospitals instead of specialty cancer centers. They are not usually a part of large academic teaching hospitals and don’t have NCI designations.

“Community hospitals are those institutions that are designed to take care of patients. They’re not necessarily teaching and they’re not necessarily doing research. That’s not to say that they never do,” says Thomas Tucker, the senior director for cancer surveillance and associate director of the Kentucky Cancer Registry at the Markey Cancer Center Prevention and Control Program at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Tucker has published research on Markey Cancer Center’s efforts to form an alliance with community cancer hospitals to help provide more standardized cancer care throughout Kentucky.

The decision to receive care in a community cancer center is often influenced by geography, given that many people in the U.S. do not live near large academic teaching hospitals or one of the 71 NCI-designated cancer centers spread across 36 states and the District of Columbia. “The number one criterion that’s going to affect where a cancer patient gets treated is going to be their location,” says Rose Gerber, a breast cancer survivor who is the director of patient advocacy and education at the Community Oncology Alliance, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that advocates for the preservation of oncology private practices that offer patients high-quality, affordable cancer care close to home. Gerber notes referrals often come from a patient’s primary care doctor who is familiar with local oncologists. In addition, a patient’s and doctor’s familiarity with the local health system and the convenience of not traveling far for what are usually multiple treatments often provide reassurance to patients, Gerber says

Experience Matters

Other variables, including a person’s cancer type, stage, the pathology and genetic makeup of the tumor, and any previous treatments, can all factor into people’s decisions about where they go for their care. When analyzing choices, oncologist Diane Reidy-Lagunes suggests that patients start by asking questions to gain an understanding of the doctor’s experience with the patient’s stage and type of cancer.

“There are definitely some questions that you want to ask the oncologist when you’re meeting them … particularly for instances of rare diseases,” says Reidy-Lagunes, who is the associate deputy physician-in-chief of the Regional Care Network at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. She suggests asking, “Is this a disease that you’re often taking care of? Have you only seen one in your lifetime or do you see five in clinic daily?”

Patients can also look up a physician’s specialties online before the office visit, says Nancy Keating, a primary care physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a researcher in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School in Boston, who studies factors that influence the delivery of high-quality care for people with cancer. “The more specialized training someone has, the better, especially when complex care is needed,” she says, using the example of a surgeon who specializes in a certain kind of cancer. “If you are a colorectal surgeon, you’ve done a fellowship, and you only do colorectal surgery. In addition, you are continually getting exposed to new cases daily and that’s all you do.”

With more experience comes greater proficiency. Research indicates that people with cancer who undergo complex procedures at high-volume surgical centers have better outcomes compared to low-volume centers, including for lung, esophageal and pancreatic cancer. For example, one study published in the April 2017 Annals of Surgery suggests patients with esophageal cancer who traveled to high-volume surgical centers had significantly better five-year survival rates, with 39.8% of patients living five years or longer compared to 20.6% who sought treatment at low-volume surgical centers. Another study published Nov. 1, 2021, in Cancer, compared outcomes at high-volume and low-volume radiation centers for a number of cancers and found patients receiving adjuvant radiation had significantly improved survival at very high-volume facilities when compared to low-volume facilities. Patients who received radiation alone for prostate, non-small cell lung, pancreatic, and head and neck cancer without surgery or other treatments also had increased survival, according to the study.

Lindsay Longo, an IT services director who lives in Tampa, Florida, was diagnosed with stage II Hodgkin lymphoma in November 2020 after going to an emergency room with escalating symptoms from COVID-19. While she was there, doctors performed a CT scan and discovered a large mass in her left lung, a rare presentation of Hodgkin lymphoma. She had a lung biopsy on Nov. 25, 2020, and five days later was diagnosed with cancer.

Longo ultimately decided to get her treatment at Moffitt Cancer Center, an NCI-designated cancer center in Tampa. The 39-year-old was impressed with the depth of experience that Moffitt provided, including swift coordination of care. “I didn’t feel like [the hospital where I was diagnosed] was moving fast enough for me, so I decided on Moffitt for its credibility and the top ranking. For me, it was a no-brainer,” she says.

On Dec. 31, 2020, Longo began treatment, receiving eight rounds of ABVD (Adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine) administered every two weeks. At the end of treatment, a scan revealed one spot on a lymph node. At that point, a tumor board, consisting of a multidisciplinary team of physicians at Moffitt, reviewed her case and suggested she have four more rounds of chemotherapy. On July 27, 2020, her scans were clear.

Access to Clinical Trials

While the standard-of-care treatments offered in cancer centers and community hospitals already have proven efficacy, some patients may also be interested in experimental treatments and clinical trials, says Gerber, who was diagnosed with stage II HER2-positive breast cancer in 2003.

Gerber had a lumpectomy followed by eight rounds of chemotherapy and radiation at Eastern Connecticut Hematology and Oncology, an oncology practice affiliated with Backus Hospital in Norwich, Connecticut. Her physicians also offered her an opportunity to participate in a clinical trial that tested the use of a targeted medication called Herceptin (trastuzumab) to reduce the chance of her cancer returning.

“[HER2-positive breast cancer] at the time was one of the deadliest diagnoses with a very poor prognosis,” she says. Gerber realizes now how fortunate she was to take part in a ground-breaking clinical trial. Today, she credits her survival and good health to being a part of the Herceptin clinical trial, and the drug is now the standard of care for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. Gerber notes that many community cancer centers offer clinical trials—and the idea that this type of research is only offered at larger research or academic hospitals is a misconception.

Having access to a range of treatment options—both the standard of care and experimental drugs—is especially important for patients who have advanced cancer, says Heidi Nelson, medical director of the American College of Surgeons, Cancer Programs, which is responsible for the Commission on Cancer (CoC) accreditation program for hospitals. The accreditation means facilities have demonstrated that they provide a range of services, either on-site or through referrals to other facilities, including diagnostic imaging, radiation oncology, systemic therapy, psychosocial support, rehabilitation, nutrition and access to clinical research.

Collaboration between medical oncologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists, nurses and social workers provides a good measure for quality care, Nelson says. “With an appropriate team of specialists, each professional sees a different part of the patients’ needs and the cancer details. The full picture comes together when all the professionals come together around each patient to make sure nothing is left out of the care plan,” she says.

That type of collaboration can also extend across hospital systems—including between NCI-designated cancer centers and community hospitals. One example of this type of collaboration is with the NCI-designated University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center, in Lexington, which started an affiliate program in 2006 that now includes 21 community hospitals. One of the requirements for facilities taking part in the alliance is achieving and maintaining CoC accreditation, as a means to increase quality of care in cancer hospitals across the state. A study of 13 hospitals in the network published in the February 2021 Annals of Surgical Oncology showed this collaboration increased the hospitals’ ability to meet quality measures three years after they joined the network compared to three years prior. In addition, the number of hospitals that received CoC accreditation increased from three to 12.

“This is an opportunity for the medium- and small-sized hospitals to have access to resources for facing issues or problems they may not have seen before,” says Tucker, who notes that academic and research hospitals don’t have the capacity to treat every cancer patient. “The smart thing [to do] is to help community hospitals develop that capacity. Many of them are quite good at it [already],” he says.

For patients like Lex, having the ability to tap into expertise at both his local cancer center and a larger cancer center provided extra reassurance. This collaboration included having a multidisciplinary team review his case at the hospital to determine the best course of care. “Knowing that it’s not just [my oncologist] that’s looking at my records, that it’s all the doctors that she works with really eased my mind,” he says.

In May 2021, Lex went back to Winship for another second opinion after a PET scan showed one of his three tumors was growing. Genetic testing in early 2021 showed his tumors tested positive for BRAF mutations, which made Lex eligible for a combination of targeted therapies, Erbitux (cetuximab) and Braftovi (encorafenib). Since starting treatment, his tumors have appeared to be less active in the PET scans, which could be an indication that treatment is working. In addition, one tumor has gotten smaller in size. He hopes the targeted therapy will keep his tumors at bay. “We’re hoping that maybe the treatment will knock it out completely,” says Lex. “I am so happy I got the second opinion. It just eases your mind because I have two great doctors looking over me.”

Quality Questions

Depression Is Often Overlooked in Cancer Patients

When Carly Flumer was a teenager, she was diagnosed with anxiety and depression. She saw a psychiatrist and a therapist regularly, and got medication and counseling. She managed her mental health well for over a decade. But in January 2017, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of thyroid cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes by the time it was diagnosed.

That’s when things got complicated again.

Flumer, then 27, underwent surgery to remove her thyroid. She also received intensive radiation. To all observers, she got a clean bill of health — at least with regard to her cancer. But, she says, her mental health had suffered.

“People absolutely do not understand the panic a cancer diagnosis can cause,” Flumer says. “My depression and anxiety got worse when I got diagnosed. I also have had more suicidal thoughts because of the cancer,” she says. “The side effects of treatment are real. So is the stress of waiting to see if the cancer comes back again.”

The Economics of Health for All and the Transformative Power of the Arts

In the first-ever report of its kind, the WHO Council on the Economics of Health for All has outlined a bold new path to reorient economies to deliver what matters – health for all.

The Council has put forward a bold new narrative grounded in new economic wisdom to reorient economies to deliver health for all across four interrelated themes:

  1. Value – valuing and measuring what matters through new economic metrics;
  2. Finance – how to finance health for all as a long-term investment, not a short-term cost;
  3. Innovation – how to advance health innovation for the common good;
  4. Capacity – how to strengthen dynamic public sector capacity to achieve health for all.

Meet the new WHO Goodwill Ambassadors for Arts and Health

The appointments of Fleming and Yende underscore the profound link between arts and health. Engagement in creative activities, such as music, art, and dance, positively impacts physical, mental health, social well-being, and overall quality of life.

Through their roles as Goodwill Ambassadors, Fleming and Yende will promote the integration of arts into healthcare systems, advocate for access to creative arts therapies, and champion the importance of artistic expression in improving health outcomes globally.

Health for All Film Festival

A shortlist of 93 films has been selected for the 4th Health for All Film Festival out of more than 780 entries received.

Watch the shortlisted films here. Winners will be announced on 6 June.

Key highlights from the Seventy-sixth World Health Assembly

As the world faces ongoing health and humanitarian emergencies, the Seventy-sixth World Health Assembly focuses on driving forward health for all. This year’s session of the World Health Assembly determines the immediate and longer-term future of WHO, starting with the program budget for the next two years, key decisions about the sustainable financing of the Organization and changes put in place to improve WHO’s processes and accountability. Delegates also deliberate about the critical role that WHO has in the Global Health Emergency Architecture.
Read more :

World Health Organization

3 Ancient Greek Words That Will Help You Lead a Happy, Successful Modern Life

Having lived in Cyprus for the last decade, I’ve invested an incredible amount of time into learning to speak Greek–with, I am sad to report, only modest success. All those hours conjugating verbs and wondering why one language could possibly need 12 versions of “the” definitely helps me communicate with friends, family, and supermarket checkout clerks. But I sometimes wonder, given there are only 12 million Greek speakers in the world and the fact that I have a business to run, was this really the best use of so much of my energy and time?

Linguists and psychologists insist that learning foreign terms broadens the array of words we can use to describe the world around us and our reactions to it. Which isn’t just handy for communication. Being able to more accurately describe your feelings and experiences actually helps you understand and control your emotions. A richer vocabulary leads to more emotional and practical smarts.

“Emotional granularity [aka having the exact right term for a feeling] helps your brain figure out when to act … and what to do,” neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett explains. So which ancient Greek terms help us pinpoint and respond to important aspects of modern life? Classical Wisdom lists a dozen, but three struck me as particularly useful.

1. Eudaimonia 

In English we lean heavily on the word “happiness” when we want to convey an overall sense of contentment. But psychologists say the word is problematic; there are several different types of happiness. There is the momentary joy of pleasant sensations–the kind of happiness you get from eating a slice of cake. And then there is the overall feeling of accomplishment that comes from a life well lived, which researchers–if not laypeople–generally distinguish by using the term “life satisfaction.”

As Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman has pointed out, these two types of happiness are often in tension. You need to give up a lot of cake and leisurely days to experience the broader life satisfaction that comes from completing your first marathon or building a successful business.

This might be a distinction everyday English struggles to express, but ancient Greek provided a word to convey the larger sense of overall life satisfaction. “Eudaimonia is regularly translated as happiness or welfare; however, ‘human flourishing or prosperity’ and ‘blessedness’ have been proposed as more accurate translations. In Aristotle’s works, eudaimonia was used as the term for the highest human good,” explains Classical Wisdom.

Having a word that conveys the idea of this higher happiness — the sum total of a life well lived and the peace and satisfaction it brings — and reminds us of the sacrifices it generally takes to achieve could help us all navigate the complex tradeoffs of modern life.

2. Arete 

Arete in its basic sense, means ‘excellence of any kind.’ The term may also mean ‘moral virtue.’ In its earliest appearance in Greek, this notion of excellence was ultimately bound up with the notion of the fulfillment of purpose or function: the act of living up to one’s full potential,” explains Classical Wisdom.

Why might this be a useful word to know even if you’re not planning to translate Homer anytime soon? People throughout the ages have wondered what to chase in life. Many today strive to be “successful.” But how do you measure success? Usually by looking at whether you’re doing better than your neighbor or work rival. And there is always someone with a bigger bank balance or fancier title than you. You can never get off the treadmill, and the constant running makes a lot of people miserable.

So how about chasing arete instead? Aiming for excellence and making the most of your talents, is a more surefire route to outer impact and inner peace than chasing success.

3. Aidos 

I don’t think I’m going to have to say a lot to convince you that aidos is a concept the modern world is in desperate need of.

Aidos is “that feeling of reverence or shame which restrains men and women from wrong. It also encompassed the emotion that a rich person might feel in the presence of the impoverished, that their disparity of wealth, whether a matter of luck or merit, was ultimately undeserved. Ancient and Christian humility have some common points, they are both the rejection of egotism and self-centeredness, arrogance and excessive pride, and is a recognition of human limitations. Aristotle defined it as a middle ground between vanity and cowardice,” says Classical Wisdom.

Less ego and a greater appreciation for the role of luck in success would make for a more pleasant and compassionate society. But even if you’re not interested in a kinder world (and you really should be), intellectual humility helps you learn faster, listen better, and be smarter. Aidos, which encompasses both the precariousness of good fortune and the possibility of error, is a quality that’s in conspiculously short supply in our divided society.

If you’re fascinated by these ancient Greek concepts and how they illuminate modern life, check out Classical Wisdom for many more.

https://eefam.gr/3-ancient-greek-words-that-will-help-you-lead-a-happy-successful-modern-life/?idU=1&utm_source=newsletter_1460&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=

Πηγή: inc.com