Prof Lorenzo Gafà, IACR Honorary Member, passed away on March 22, 2019.
A renowned pathologist then in his forties, Prof Gafà established the Ragusa Cancer Registry, in in 1982 in Sicily, Italy. This Registry was the first in operation in the central Mediterranean area. He was a true pioneer, in a time when cancer registries in the country numbered less than the fingers of a hand.
Aside from producing impact data of excellent quality (published in the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents CI-5 since its first year of publication), Prof Gafà promoted the intense use of these data to contribute to analytical studies in both national and international levels (Helios I and II, EPIC, SETIL research consortia, among others).
After his retirement from the Ragusa Registry, he went on helping the establishment of other registries in Southern Italy and he carried on for decades important responsibilities in the Italian League Against Cancer at the local and national level.
By: Roberto Zanetti
