Rethinking Cancer – Winners of the Group Cancer Prevention Award – 2015

Dr. Leroy Lowe and Dr. Michael Gilbertson were honoured with the 2015 PCN Cancer Prevention Award, for vision and scientific scholarship, leading international collaborations elaborating and applying the Hallmarks of Cancer.

Their vision, “Getting to Know Cancer” was launched in Halifax in 2013, and was embraced by hundreds of prominent scientists around the globe. With extraordinary scientific leadership and wisdom, Lowe and Gilbertson and 300 international scientists are reframing cancer.

To start, the Hallmarks of Cancer (e.g. inflammation, genomic instability, uncontrolled growth, etc.) were scoped, and teams were formed to examine the Hallmarks from the point of view of contributors to the development of cancer, and beneficial exposures (primarily diet) that may prevent occurrence or progression, or even foster cure.

Hallmarks of Cancer

In 2015, the Halifax Project published two seminal series of peer-reviewed research papers by 350 researchers from 31 countries:

• Assessing the Carcinogenic Potential of Low-Dose Exposures to Chemical Mixtures in the Environment: The Challenge Ahead
• A Broad-Spectrum Integrative Design for Cancer Prevention and Therapy

This outstanding work is gaining attention in the U.S.

• The US National Institute of Environmental Health Science hosted a symposium featuring The Halifax Project.
• The Environmental Working Group hosted leaders from academia, government agencies and non-profit organizations in San Francisco for a workshop, Rethinking Chemicals and Cancer.
• The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) published Low-Dose Chemical Exposure and Cancer in June 2016.

As word of the award spread among scientists, accolades poured in from around the world, expressing hopes that this work will translate into changes on the ground, in everyday lives. The Halifax Project makes clear that cancer prevention will not be achieved with today’s single-chemical, proof of harm approaches. Cancer prevention hinges upon least-toxic approaches and best-practices in all endeavours.

Prevent Cancer Now is committed to fostering the necessary fundamental shifts to least-toxic approaches in all decision-making – from individuals choosing dinner, to regulators approaching chemicals and radiation.