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In June 2008 cancer researcher Anuradhani Kasturiratne was one of seven PACT-sponsored participants to attend the annual Summer School of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France. Together with some 40-50 people from both developed and developing nations, all involved in the field of cancer control and prevention, Anu attended two modules of the Summer School: covering cancer registration and the epidemiology of cancer. The modules, she says, were very informative and greatly contributed to the knowledge of the participants. But most of all, Anu enjoyed the international environment of the Summer School. “I really liked working together with teams of colleagues from many countries and achieving results,” she remembers. “The international culture at IARC was inspiring.”
Born and raised in the Western Province of Sri Lanka, Anu received her degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Kelaniya in 1999. She went on to gain post-graduate qualifications in Community Medicine from the University of Colombo and is now a Lecturer in Public Health, working for the Department of Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya. Anu says her work primarily involves training medical students in public health, in both the classroom and the field. “The medical school places emphasis on developing the research culture among the medical fraternity and is currently a leader in its field in Sri Lanka,” she says. “Against this background, my greatest contribution to cancer control will be in the development of cancer research in Sri Lanka. My aim is to undertake epidemiological research on cancer that is appropriate, timely and well designed to generate new knowledge of prevention and control strategies. This is a current need in my country.”
Cancer is an important public health problem in Sri Lanka today. A lower-middle income country in South Asia with a population of some 20 million, Sri Lanka is undergoing many of the economic, social and demographic changes seen in other developing countries today. It is also experiencing a rapid aging of population. Increased longevity, together with changes in lifestyle and the environment, are increasing exposure to risk factors for cancer and other non-communicable diseases. Today, about 13,000 cancer cases are diagnosed annually in Sri Lanka, however the real incidence is estimated at around 20,000.
The training Anu received at IARC will greatly benefit her work in the future. “My department is collaborating with the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) of Sri Lanka to compile the National Cancer Registry. The training has already become invaluable to my work,” she says. “In addition to improving my knowledge and skills in relevant areas, it also gives me the opportunity to form international collaborations that link my faculty, NCCP and IARC for future work in cancer control.” She adds that she is grateful to PACT for supporting cancer researchers like herself from developing countries because it is of great importance for them to gain expertise in the international arena.
In Anu's opinion, international organisations like the IAEA can help countries like Sri Lanka to tackle the cancer crisis by supporting cancer control initiatives in terms of both policy and resource provision. “They can influence policy at the highest level,” she says. “Being a developing country, spending less that 5% of the GDP on healthcare, and where many technical constraints exist in cancer prevention, Sri Lanka will benefit largely if technical expertise for both cancer prevention and control can be provided with resources and support from organisations like the IAEA.”
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