Editor-in-Chief, 1 University of Oxford, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Oxford, UK; 2 Hôpital Pitié-Salpét,Paris, France
The 18th century diplomat John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair and a Scot, famously described Britain and France as natural and necessary enemies, and he was the British ambassador to Paris. At the end of the 19th century, France and Britain had teetered on the brink of war over their imperial ambitions in Africa. A mere 6 years after that, in April 1904, representatives of Britain and France signed what has come to be known as the Entente Cordiale, the cornerstone of FrancoBritish relations for more than 100 years.
This year has seen major celebrations of that centenary, among them the Entente Cordiale Cancer Initiative, which aims to foster closer collaboration in cancer research. This topic was chosen to reflect the importance that both the French and British governments have given to combating cancer. The initiative aims to improve coordination and sharing of resources between British and French cancer research, as well as boosting bilateral collaboration between individual French and British research groups. To quote the French Secretary of State for Health, Philippe Douste-Blazy, France and the UK have chosen to make the fight against cancer a key theme of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale. Together with our British colleagues, we hope to use the fight against this disease to exemplify the benefits of European action over isolation.
The value of European action over isolation is something that we hope Annals of Oncology is able to champion [1], as exemplified by our support for European projects such as the European Code Against Cancer [2
, 3
], EUROCARE [4
, 5
] and EUROPREVAL [6
, 7
]. We see this not simply as an obligation, as Editor-in-Chief for the official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology, but as something that is self-evidently right.
The range and scope of activities undertaken this year as part of the Entente Cordiale Cancer Initiative have been breathtaking, and we have been pleased to play some small part in them. Many of these have been taken forward through the UK's National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) and its newly established French equivalent the Institut National du Cancer (INCa). In April, almost 100 years to the day after the signing of the Entente Cordiale, a FrancoBritish Cancer Research Workshop in Paris brought together some 40 leading cancer researchers from the UK and France. Participants brainstormed ideas for deepening collaboration between the two countries in cancer research and treatment, with discussions focusing on three fundamental areas: basic, translational and clinical research. The conclusions of that meeting will, we believe, provide the directors the NCRI and INCa with a road map for future collaboration.
Recently, we were lucky enough to participate in the Entente Cordiale Cancer Research Summit in London. Sharing the stage with Philippe Douste-Blazy and his counterpart the British Secretary of State for Health, Dr John Reid, we were struck by the enormous wealth of talent these two countries are able to bring to bear on the problems that cancer presents. Ranging widely from subjects such as services delivery and cancer survival rates to gene therapy and immunotherapy, the quality and commitment of the speakers shone out.
We do not intend all this as idle backslapping. How we, as cancer professionals, can work to achieve public health goals at the trans-national level is something that we believe concerns us all, whether we live in France, Britain, the rest of Europe or the rest of the world. By working together, using science to inform our decisions, and considering the real needs of our populations, we have the possibility to shape our future for the better. Britain and France have put aside a history of supposedly natural enmity to achieve a lasting and fruitful partnership, recognising that what divides us is much less significant than what unites us. Therein lies the message of the Entente Cordiale, and it makes this a centenary well worth celebrating.
References
1. Kerr D. Europe's eye is fixed on mighty things. Ann Oncol 2003; 14: 971.
2. Boyle P, Autier P, Bartelink H et al. European Code Against Cancer and scientific justification: third version (2003). Ann Oncol 2003; 14: 9731005.
3. Boyle P, d'Onofrio A, Maisonneuve P et al. Measuring progress against cancer in Europe: has the 15% decline targeted for 2000 come about? Ann Oncol 2003; 14: 13121325.
4. Sant M, Aareleid T, Berrino F et al. EUROCARE-3: survival of cancer patients diagnosed 1990-94results and commentary. Ann Oncol 2003; 14 (Suppl 5): v61118.
5. Coleman MP, Gatta G, Verdecchia A et al. EUROCARE-3 summary: cancer survival in Europe at the end of the 20th century. Ann Oncol 2003; 14 (Suppl 5): v128149.
6. Capocaccia R, Colonna M, Corazziari I et al. Measuring cancer prevalence in Europe: the EUROPREVAL project. Ann Oncol 2002; 13: 831839.
7. Micheli A, Mugno E, Krogh V et al. Cancer prevalence in European registry areas. Ann Oncol 2002; 13: 840865.