Kānesa (Cancer)

O le ā le Kānesa? (What is cancer?)

O le kānesa o se fa`afitāuli e `a`afia ai tagata o so `o se matua ma fa`alāpotopotoga o atunu`u ma e tupu pe `ā tutupu fa`aletonu o sela o tatou tino. Pe `ā mātutua ma fa`aleagaina sela o o tatou tino, e mamate ma toe tutupu a`e sela fou i o latou tulaga; peita`i, `āfai e lē pulea lenei faiga, e ono tutupu fa`afuase`i sela ua fa`aleagaina e pei o ni kānesa ma sosolo atu i isi vaega o o tatou tino lea e mafai ono lamatia ai le ola. O le suiga po `o le fa`aleagaina o tatou kenera fa`atupu po `o le DNA e mafai ona fa`atupuina le kānesa ma e mafai ona `a`afia uma ai so `o se vaega o tatou tino.

Cancer is a problem that affects people of all ages and ethnicities and occurs when cells of our body grow uncontrollably. When cells of our body become old and damaged, they die and new cells grow in their place; however, if this process is uncontrolled, damaged cells may grow uncontrollably as cancers and spread to other parts of our body where they can become life threatening. Changes or damage to our genetic make-up or DNA can cause the development of cancers and can take place almost anywhere in our body. 

E fa`apefea ona `a`afia tagata Māori ma tagata Pasefika i le kānesa? 

(How does cancer affect Māori and Pacific people?)

O le kānesa o se fa`afitāuli tele mo Māori ma tagata Pasefika i Aotearoa. O nei fa`alāpotopotoga o atunu`u e maualuga atu le fua fa`atatau o kānesa o le  māmā, susu, vaega o le gā`au, vaega o le fa`a`autagata, ate ma le atepili pe `ā fa`atusatusa i isi fa`alāpotopotoga o atunu`u. I le tele o itu`aiga o kānesa, o tagata Māori ma tagata Pasefika e sili atu ona vave māliliu pe `ā fa`atusatusa i tagata Europa ma `Āsia i Aotearoa. O lo `o matou gālulue mālosi e taumafai e fo`ia nisi o nei fa`alētonu e ala i a matou su`esu`ega.

Cancer poses a significant problem for Māori and Pacific people in Aotearoa. These communities have higher rates of lung, breast, colorectal, endometrial, liver and pancreatic cancers compared to other ethnicities. With many types of cancer, Māori and Pacific people are more likely to die earlier compared to European and Asian populations in Aotearoa. We are working hard to try and address some of these inequities through our research.

O ā mea o lo `o faia e le Maurice Wilkins Centre ina ia  fō`ia ai le kānesa? 

(What is the Maurice Wilkins Centre doing to combat cancer?)

O lo`o matou su`esu`eina le māfua`aga o kānesa `ese`ese ma sa`ilia ni auala fou e togafitia ai, fa`atasi ai ma le taula`i fa`apitoa i le auala e mafai ai e faiga o le tino ona puipuia ma fesoasoani e tete`e atu i kānesa. Matou te su`esu`eina le fa`avae olaola o le kānesa, fa`atupu su`esu`ega fou, su`esu`e pe fa`apefea ona vave faia tui puipui e fa`asaga i tuma ta`itasi o tagata mama`i ma mfa`atupu togafitiga fou e fesoasoani ai i le puipuiga o le tino e sa`ili ma fa`aumatia ai le kānesa. O lenei faiga fa`apitoa i su`esu`ega o le kānesa o lo `o fa`aalia i le whakataukī  “Kimihia katoa, Nga putake o te kaupapa, ina, I kitea, kimihia Te Rongo”, lea e mafai ona fa`aliliuina i le “Su`esu`e i itū uma o lu`itau, o lo `o ta`oto ai  le mālamalama`aga ina ia maua ai lau fofō”. E i ai se vaega o saienitisi Māori ma Pasefika o lo `o su`esu`eina nei suiga fa`apitoa i kenera Māori ma Pasefika e ono feso`ota`i ma fa`ama`i `ese`ese e aofia ai ma le kānesa e taumafai ai e su`e ni auala talafeagai mo togafitiga lelei.

O taumafaiga su`esu`e a le Maurice Wilkins Centre o lo `o fa`amoemoe e fa`atalanoa aiā tatau a Te Tiriti o Māori i le soifua maloloina ma su`esu`ega fa`alesoifua maloloina fa`apea nisi o fa`alētonu tau le soifua maloloina o lo `o feagai ma tagata Māori ma tagata Pasefika e maua i le kānesa.

We are investigating the cause of various cancers and finding new ways to treat them, with a special focus on how the body’s immune system can help fight cancers. We research the biological basis of cancer, generate new diagnostic tests, research how we can rapidly make vaccines against each patient’s individual tumours and generate new treatments to help the immune system seek out and destroy cancers. This multi-disciplinary approach to cancer research is expressed in the whakataukī “Kimihia katoa, Nga putake o te kaupapa, ina, I kitea, kimihia Te Rongo”, which can be translated as “Search out all facets of the challenge, therein lies the understanding that provides your solution”. There are a number of Māori and Pacific scientists currently researching unique adaptations in Māori and Pacific genes that may be associated with different diseases including cancer to try and find tailored approaches for better treatment. The research efforts of the Maurice Wilkins Centre aim to address Te Tiriti rights of Māori in health and health research as well as some of the health inequities faced by Māori and Pacific people with cancer.