Dear Colleagues,
This
is the 5th year of publication of the Journal and I would like
to congratulate the GFFCC, the staff of the journal, our editors
and reviewers, our sponsors and most especially our loyal
readers who have patronized the journal in the last 5 years. The
years have passed so quickly that I can still recall the long
preparations during the launching of the very first issue on
January 2007. Many people have contributed their time, talent
and resources to make this journal a success and a symbol of
pride among oncologist in the gulf. For a short period of time,
the journal was included in the index of the PubMed/Medline
database and has been recognized as an international scientific
publication where published articles are requested by different
libraries around the world. We have also exceeded our
expectations of reaching out to oncologist in the gulf since the
journal is so popular among oncologists in the Middle East,
North Africa and South Asia.
During the meeting of the GFFCC Board in Sharjah, UAE last May 5, 2011, Mr. Abdul Aziz Al Turki was selected as the new Chairman to replace Dr. Mohammed Abdu Yamani who passed away recently. Mr. Al Turki is the Chairman of the Saudi Cancer Foundation and is a wellknown figure in the area of cancer awareness and prevention in Saudi Arabia. We are all very optimistic that he will succeed and lead the Federation into new horizons. We congratulate him and wish him all the best for his new position.
I am pleased to report that the 5th GFFCC Conference on Colorectal Cancer in Sharjah, UAE conducted from 5-7 May, 2011 was a success. I would like to congratulate the Friends of Cancer Patients (FOCP) Society for a job well done, to the Scientific Committee for an exemplary work and to H.H. Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi as patron and supporter of the whole event. The conference was very fruitful and many oncologists in the gulf attended and participated to update and exchange information and knowledge. We are looking forward to another successful conference on 2013 since we are conducting this event every 2 years.
During the last conference, one of the areas identified that needs priority and focus was the conduct of a multi-centric study for the gulf countries. It was noted that the gulf area has almost similar socio-economic situation and environmental conditions that makes multi-centric study effective, promising and beneficial to the population. What is needed is a group of oncologists who are enthusiastic in carrying-out mission-specific studies for the future of our region. I hope that one day, we can setup a central research center in one of the GCC countries where baseline information and all other collected information regarding cancer in the gulf can be put together to help in research and make mutli-centric studies easier to conduct.
Best regards,
Dr. Khaled Al Saleh
Editor-in-Chief
