Goals
Effectively addressing cancer prevention and control is a complex and multifaceted challenge for all countries and the Cancer Control Planning and Implementation (CCPI) Master Course is one of the technical assistance collaborations that was made possible through the International Cancer Control Partnership’s (ICCP) collaborative worldwide network of experts. The CCPI Master Course was designed to raise awareness of the benefits of cancer control planning and increase the capacity of cancer professionals around the world to move forward cancer control planning and implementation in their respective countries through an evidence-based, multi-sectoral approach.
Expert instructors
For the 2016 Master Course, the ICCP convened a diverse range of expert partners from ICCP including: the Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI); U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC); International Cancer Control Congress Association (ICCCA); U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health; National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN); the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR); Princess Margaret Hospital, Canada; University of Hawaii (UH); University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; and World Health Organization (WHO). Additional partners who provided expertise as course instructors included Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Institute for Cancer Policy at King’s College London.
Topics covered in the master course
- Foundational elements of national cancer control plans (NCCP) and how to best develop specific strategies to move NCCP efforts forward;
- NCCP implementation and evaluation;
- Strengthening cancer registries and best use of data;
- Addressing the full spectrum of cancer control through planning - from prevention and screening to diagnosis, and palliative care;
- Strengthening NCCP research to support planning and implementation;
- Addressing social determinants of health through NCCPs;
- Using resource stratified guidelines to inform planning;
- Resource planning to support effective, affordable, and sustainable improvements in cancer prevention and control.
Participants
Participants were selected for the 2016 CCPI Master Course on a competitive basis from professionals in all regions of the world, and from multiple sectors. The 36 participants represented 26 countries from various regions, including: Africa, the Caribbean, Central-, South- and Southeast-Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South America. Participants were representatives of organizations that are critical to development and implementation of a national cancer plan, including ministries of health, cancer registries, cancer institutes or centers, cancer NGOs, and universities.
The majority of participants hailed from low- and middle-income countries that either (1) already had an NCCP and wanted to improve its implementation and/or evaluation or (2) did not yet have an NCCP and wanted to develop a plan and mobilize support. The course sought to engage participants who were positioned within their country to take the lessons learned through the Master Course and apply them to cancer control planning at home. Participants from countries that participated in previous regional NCI Cancer Control Leadership Forums were encouraged to register, though previous participation in the Leadership Forum program was not a requirement.
Format
The 2016 Master Course was facilitated via an online e-learning platform and consisted of 8 webinars, each followed by an online discussion with other participants and course instructors over a period of four months. The virtual learning segment of the course culminated in a one-day, in-person workshop on October 31, 2016 at the World Cancer Congress. Each section of the course was purpose-built by internationally-recognized cancer control professionals to convene, build capacity, and transfer knowledge for those engaged in cancer control from various disciplines, and at different levels, from all regions of the world.
Outcomes
Upon completion of the Master Course, participants had:
- Increased awareness of how to maximize the health impact of the resources in countries through strategic national cancer control planning;
- Enhanced understanding of best practices to develop and implement a national cancer control plan including how to mobilize support for strategic cancer control planning, build partnerships to develop and implement the plan, identify priorities within the plan for implementation, and evaluate the plan and implementation efforts;
- Improved knowledge of how cancer control planning can be used to address needs in specific areas such as cancer screening, cervical cancer control, palliative care, and non-communicable disease planning;
- Exposure to different strategies other countries have used to address common problems in the cancer control plan development and implementation process and lessons learned;
- Development of specific strategies to move cancer control planning efforts forward in participants’ home countries;
- Connection with regional and worldwide counterparts for future engagement (e.g. an African network that will be participate in a follow-up technical assistance workshop).
MASTER COURSE MATERIALS
The Master Course took place in 2016 and consisted of 8 webinars, online discussion, and the in-person workshop. Below are Webinar recordings and slides.
WEBINARS AND SLIDES
Webinar #1: Course Overview & Online Platform Information, National Cancer Control Planning – Foundational Elements and Partnerships
Webinar #2: National Cancer Control Plan Implementation and Evaluation
Webinar #3: Strengthening Cancer Registries and Use of Data through National Cancer Control Efforts
Webinar #4: Addressing the Cancer Control Continuum through National Cancer Control: from Cancer Prevention through Early Detection
Webinar #4 recording (link) Dr. Lewis Foxhall courtesy of 
Webinar #5 (part 1): Addressing the Cancer Continuum Through National Cancer Control Efforts: From Cancer Diagnosis to Palliative Care
Webinar #5 (part 1) recording (link)
Webinar #5 (part 2): Addressing the Cancer Continuum Through National Cancer Control Efforts: From Cancer Diagnosis to Palliative Care
Webinar #5 (part 2) recording (link)
Webinar #6: The Role of Research in National Cancer Control Planning and Implementation
Webinar #7: Addressing Social Determinants of Health through National Cancer Plan Implementation
Webinar #8: Developing a Cancer Control Resource Strategy
Webinar #8 (part 1) recording (link)
Webinar #8 (part 2) recording (link)