VADEMECUM IN CANCEROLOGY

History

1992 - Colmar, France: During his specialization in Oncology (Diplome des Etudes Universitaires Complémentaires en Cancerologie) in France, Dr. Ban started working on the French language version of his book. Hi finished it in 1994.

1993 -1994 - France: Dr. Ban tried to publish his book in Schwitzerland (Ed. Karger) and France, but the book was actually intended to be used in Romania. Result: negative. N.B. - “Interesting idea, but I haven’t got the venture capital ” (Christian Vigot, Paris)

• “One can say "VADEMECUM" might stand for a lesson taught to your teachers.” (a French Oncology Professor of Dr. Ban)
  
  1994 - 1995 - Netherlands: “wait and see” - the principle was applied for the French manuscript of " VADEMECUM ". During the same period of time, Dr. Ban also tried to involve the Romanian authorities (Minister of Health). That also had to give “green light” to a project to establish a Cancer Center in the city of Resita, Caras Severin County. Being as an oncological institute, the building had to be arranged to a French model and with French help. Result: negative. N.B. Romanian Health Minister said: “Finally, your project seems to be a private clinic! This is impossible! ”
  
  August 1995, Bucharest, Romania: Thinking that his book "VADEME- CUM" could be very useful to Romanian Cancer patients, Dr. Ban asked the Academy of Medical Sciences from Romania to help him; Dr. Truia, the secretary of the Academy, showed interest to publish the book in its original form (French version). Two months later, different attitude: “We can’t publish it”; “We have a new President”; “The book was been written in French”; “We don’t have funds.” Instead of progress, there is an unexpected regress...
  
  November 1995, Bucharest, Romania: the “Science Publishing House” in Bucharest accepted publishing ‘VADEMECUM’.
  
  January 1996, Bucharest: “Science Publishing House” - “We can publish it, but...it must be translated into Romanian.”
  
  April, 1996, Netherlands: the translation of ‘VADEMECUM’ into Romanian was made by Dr. Ban and has been sent to Bucharest.
  
  End of November 1997, Romania: 1000 copies of "VADEMECUM" has been printed by "Science Publishing House". So the surfacing of the book began. After printing, the only thing they did was to present the book at the International Book Fair that took place at Romtelecom Palace in Bucharest (December 1997). No other effort to promote "VADEMECUM". Further-more, if a bookshop from another city was interested in selling the book, it had to pay in advance the “Science Publishing House”.
  
  January 1998, Baia Mare, Romania: There were positive echoes received from Romania; the first appreciations were made by the oncologists from Baia Mare.
  
  January 17, 1998, Timisoara, Romania: with the help from a student from the Faculty of Journalism Dr. Ban tried once again to promote his book. There was also some help of Prof. Dr. Gruia Crisan, head of Surgical Oncological Clinic of Timisoara, but it was still a failure.
  
  January 18, 1998, Canada: information about the appearance of the book in Romania via Internet in the Canadian site “Virtual Romania” of Mr. Tavi Ureche.
  
  January 22, 1998, Munchen, Germany: information concerning the book was broadcasted at “Free Europe Radio”.
  
  March 7, 1998, Wageningen, The Netherlands: at the Annual Reunion of “Operation Village Roemenie” organization, the author presented his book. All ended with demands for the book.
  
  March 12, 1998, Bucharest: the first official review was made by Mr. George Cusnarencu and published in the “Magazine”.
  
  April - May 1998: positive echoes about the book appeared from Europe, USA and Canadian oncologists.
  
  June 1998, Toronto, Canada: a synthesis of all facts concerning the book "VADEMECUM" was published in the Internet site www.thebans.com.
  
  June 16, 1998, The Hague, Netherlands: the author presents his book at a cultural event-taking place at the Embassy of Romania in The Hague; it was a big success, but with no further progress.
  
  June - July 1998, The Netherlands: in the context of the positive echoes and demand of the book for Romania, Dr. Ban initiated in the Netherlands a project entitled “A book for Romania”, with the purpose of finding sponsors for a new edition of the book and followed by a free distribution among the students and the doctors in Romania. Argumentation: there are more than 200,000 cancer patients registered in Romania and Romanian doctors and students cannot afford to buy medical books. For this project Dr. Ban contacted a lot of international institutions (e.g. NIZW of Utrecht, Netherlands, Belgian Cancer Society, etc.).
  
  July 26, 1998, The Hague, Netherlands: meeting of Dr. Ban with Mr. Buhoara, Romanian Ambassador to the Netherlands and conversation about the project. Conclusion (Mr. Buhoara): “O.K. The project is good, but you will not receive any guldens from the Dutch people or other International or European Foundations...”
  
  September 7, 1998, The Netherlands: The first letter - the first sponsor! “Kankerbestrijding Association, Koningin Wilhelmina Fonds” proposed 5000 guldens for the project. After this, more than 20 requests were ignored…
  
  January -May 1999, The Netherlands: the project was restarted with the purpose of reprint the book; that meant that the first 1000 books were sold out. Despite this information received by the author from Bucharest, more than 600 copies were still in the warehouse of the Science Publishing House! In this context, Dr. Ban, after the information of Dutch sponsors, decided to buy these books with the money received from them.
  
  June 1999, Bucharest, Romania: the official inauguration of the project in Romania by the purchase of the books; the first 60 books are distributed at the Oncological Institute in Bucharest. Here, Prof. Dr. Ion Balanescu - ex-teacher in oncology of the author introduced Dr. Ban with the following sentence: “Dr. Ban was trained here, in our institute. Now he brings us his book “Vademecum in Cancerology” addressed primarily to our resident doctors. However, it’s good for anyone to have this kind of book among his personal ones”. After this presentation, Dr. Saptefrati, a famous Romanian surgeon, noticed: ”I would like to receive your book, but only if your autograph it”. For this reason, Dr. Ban autographed books for friends and oncologists from the Institute in Bucharest. Other books have been sent to the oncologists all over the country with the help of the citostatical firma ”Sindan” and to other 10 Medical Universities in Romania and Moldavia Republic with the help of “Carol Davila” Medical University in Bucharest.
  
  June 18, 1999, Bucharest, Romania: TVR International. Dr Ban is asked for an interview where he describes the book “Vademecum” and the project “A book for Romania”.
  
  June 27,Toronto, Canada: with the aim to find new sponsors for the project, Mr. Marcel Ban initiated a discussion program on his personal Internet site www.thebans.com July, Heilbronn, Germany. Dr. Ban is invited by Dr. Munteanu, the President of Free Romanians World Union (Paris) to present his book and his project. An Initiative Committee is formed with the purpose to support the project. August 1999, Amsterdam: in the “Roemenie Bulletin”, under Mr. Jan Willem Bos, appeared the article entitled “Het Koningin Wilhelmina Fonds en Roemenie”, about the book "Vademecum in Cancerologie".
  
  September 21, 1999, Amsterdam: Prof. Dr. H.M. Pinedo (Vrije Universiteit) a worldwide known oncologist, appreciated “Vademecum” and the project of Dr. Ban. Prof. Pinedo donated to the University “Carol Davila” in Bucharest, his last book, “Cancer Chemotherapy - Biological Modifiers”, Elsevier, 1997.
  
  End of 1999: the fight for “VADEMECUM” is successfully over!
  Conclusion: after more than 7 difficult years, 1000 copies of the “VADEMECUM” arrived to the doctors involved in the diagnosis and treatment of Romanian cancer patients, this being the real destination desired by the author! Through the discussions about the usefulness of “VADEMECUM” in Romania, Dr. Ban attracted the attention of a lot of persons and organizations from Europe, USA and Canada, about the existing problems in oncology in Romania.