Cancer: Fighting Hong Kong’s Number One Killer
VIEW EVENT DETAILSLuncheon Presentation by Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, Cancer Research UK
Registration: 12:15 pm
Luncheon: 12:30 pm
Close: 2:00 pm
More than 12 million people are diagnosed with cancer every year worldwide and the disease accounts for more than 15 percent of annual global deaths, claiming more than 7.5 million lives — more than AIDS, malaria and TB combined. In Asia, over 6 million people diagnosed with the disease each year, and more than half of all cancer deaths are in the region — that's 11,000 people every day. In Hong Kong, around 21,700 people are diagnosed with cancer every year, with over 13,200 dying each year, with the most commonly diagnosed cancers lung, bowel, breast and liver cancer. While cancer is not an infectious disease, some types of infection, especially by certain viruses, increase the risk of particular kinds of cancer. In fact, up to one in five of all cancers worldwide are known to be linked to viruses and bacteria. Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive Officer of Cancer Research UK, will provide an overview on prevalent cancers in the region, outline why survival rates are improving and explain some of Cancer Research UK's scientific work that underpins more than half of the world's top cancer drugs.
Harpal Kumar is Chief Executive Officer of Cancer Research UK. Previously, he was Chief Executive of Cancer Research Technology Ltd. Mr. Kumar was founding CEO of Nexan Group, a venture capital-backed medical device company creating cardio-respiratory monitoring technologies. He has also served as CEO of The Papworth Trust which focuses on people with acquired and congenital disabilities, and advised pharmaceutical clients on strategic issues at McKinsey and Co. Mr. Kumar is a Trustee of the Institute for Cancer Research and the Francis Crick Institute in London, and Chairman of the Board of the National Cancer Research Institute. He chairs the Cancer Outcomes Strategy Advisory Group in England and co-chairs the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative. Mr. Kumar received his Master's degree from the University of Cambridge and an MBA as a Baker Scholar from Harvard Business School.