The Chifae Association for Cancer Prevention and Research organized its 5th International Congress of Genitourinary Oncology on October 21 and 22, 2022 in Marrakech. Karima Oualla, Professor of Medical Oncology and Scientific Coordinator of this high mass of national and international experts in onco-urology draws up in this interview the assessment of the actions of the association, but also the inventory of fixtures of this affection and the progress in this area.
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Karima Oualla, Professor of Medical Oncology
Could you introduce us to the Chifae association and its field of action?
The Chifae Association for Cancer Prevention and Research is a scientific association founded in 2011 whose headquarters is the medical oncology department of the CHU Hassan II in Fez. Its objective is continuing medical education in oncology by organizing national and international meetings since 2015.
You have just organized the 5th international congress of genito-urinary oncology in Marrakech with important partners. What could you tell us about the highlights of this meeting?
This edition was a real meeting place for sharing experiences and expertise, but also for emotions and human exchanges. The program of this 5th Congress was rich with eight sessions around the themes of prostate cancer, cancer of the bladder and excretory tract and kidney cancer. It was also an opportunity to place Africa at the center of a major session on the state of oncology on the continent and future prospects with the participation of a dozen African countries. And among the highlights of this congress was the interactive session with cancer patients to highlight the challenges faced by the Moroccan patient and how the cancer patient can be a partner in the care journey.
Training is an important element to be aware of the latest developments in the fight against genito-urinary cancers. What is your association doing in this regard?
Indeed, there are constantly several novelties in the field of oncology in general and in urological oncology in particular, and in recent years the diagnostic and therapeutic advances are arriving at high speed, hence the need to ensure continuous training to be on the news page. In this sense, we regularly organize scientific days, round tables, multidisciplinary meetings to discuss complex cases. In addition, every year we organize this great international scientific event.
In addition to the continuous training of doctors, we also aim to raise awareness of the need for early diagnosis and screening, particularly for prostate cancer, which is a real public health problem in Morocco and around the world and which can be screened in order to increase the chances of recovery. Moreover, in this month of November dedicated to male cancers, we are organizing awareness days on this subject.
What are the most important advances in the fight against prostate cancer?
There are enormous novelties regarding prostate cancer. Already, from the diagnostic point of view, with the latest generations of MRIs and pet scanners. Also in terms of surgical, endoscopic and robo-assisted techniques allowing more efficiency and fewer complications. With regard to radiotherapy, several new techniques are also increasingly used, notably 4-dimensional radiotherapy, brachytherapy, and stereotactic radiotherapy, allowing more precise treatment with fewer adverse effects.
If not in terms of systemic treatments, enormous progress has emerged with a very rich therapeutic arsenal, including chemotherapy, new generation hormone therapies, targeted therapies, metabolic radiotherapy, and immunotherapy.
Morocco is positioned in the field of oncology as the spearhead of Africa. How do you envision this collaboration?
This collaboration with the Franco-African Cancer Association was an opportunity to establish a roadmap for the creation of a large African network in the fight against cancer. It should also be noted that Morocco plays a pioneering role on the African scale in the training of several doctors in oncology but also in other specialties. We are also proud to be among the first countries in Africa to have the newest technologies and the most innovative treatments.
There has been a proliferation of cancers in recent years, especially those of the prostate. Are there means of prevention to be implemented?
Prostate cancer is a real public health problem. Worldwide, it is the 2nd most common cancer in men with 1,414,259 new cases in 2020, or 14.1% of all male cancers. And in Morocco it is also the 2nd cancer in Moroccan men with 4,429 new cases or 15.2% of cancers in men.
This means that it is necessary to act upstream and especially via the axis of prevention and early detection. There is not yet a systematic screening program but it is strongly advised in men aged 50 or over to have an annual periodic examination with their urologist doctor for a digital examination or by measuring the PSA (prostatic specific antigen) which allows, via a blood test, to measure the level of PSA in the blood. PSA is a protein produced by the prostate, normally present in small amounts in the blood. In case of high rate, other more in-depth investigations should be done.