This site is hosted by the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, USA.
HISTORY
On 20 May 1996, a new intergovernmental organisation, the Middle East Cancer Consortium (MECC), was established by agreement in Geneva, Switzerland.
The agreement was signed by the Ministers of Health of:
- Cyprus
- Egypt
- Israel
- Jordan
- Palestinian Authority (Gaza and the West Bank)
The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Director of the U.S. National Cancer Institute witnessed the agreement.
The Republic of Turkey officially joined the Consortium in June 2004.
The goal of the MECC is to raise cancer awareness in the Middle East and, ultimately, to reduce the burden of cancer in the region. Its activities include:
- Establishment of population-based cancer registries in all six jurisdictions
- Development of a small collaborative research grants programme
- Promotion of palliative care services in all six jurisdictions
Cancer Registry Project
The MECC Cancer Registry Project (CRP) opened on 1 January 1998. CRP's primary objective is to standardise data items, definitions, and codes to ensure that reliable comparisons can be made among jurisdictions. The quality of the data—its coverage and accuracy—is of primary importance to the MECC.
SMALL GRANTS PROGRAMME
The MECC Small Grants Programme (SGP) has played an important role in supporting collaborative cancer research in the Middle East, where this research is in its infancy. In order to stimulate cooperative research activities within the MECC, the organization sponsored only those projects that exhibited genuine collaboration, i.e., those that involved the participation of at least two MECC members. Through generous support from its members, MECC was able to complete four rounds of funding. Each round included grants to several collaborative projects.
While there is currently no funding available to support the SGP, the MECC is continuing to search for financial support, and hopes to re-establish the Programme when funding is available.
If you would like to review the history of the MECC Small Grants Programme or view past funded projects, please click here.