World Cancer Day
World Cancer Day, organized by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and celebrated each year on 4 February, “so that each year, the Charter of Paris will be in the hearts and minds of people around the world.” World Cancer Day aims to save millions of preventable deaths each year by raising awareness and education about cancer and pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action against the disease.
Cancer awareness has become exceedingly important in the 21st century. While there have been numerous advancements in the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer—factors that should contribute to the decline of the disease—the number of new cancer cases diagnosed each year has globally continued to increase. However, also according to WHO, as many as 40 percent of deaths from cancer are preventable. As a result, raising awareness of cancer prevention has become a prominent goal of many cancer and health organizations around the world, and World Cancer Day has come to represent an annual reaffirmation of the importance of this goal.
The International Union Against Cancer (UICC), an organization dedicated to increasing global cancer awareness, coordinates World Cancer Day and is supported in this effort by WHO and other international organizations. World Cancer Day serves as a formal launching point for the declaration of new themes and the release of new publications for the UICC’s World Cancer Campaign, This year's World Cancer Day's theme, "I Am and I Will," is all about you and your commitment to act.
| Year | Theme |
|---|---|
| 2019 - 2021 | 'I Am and I Will.' |
| 2016 - 2018 | 'We can. I can.' |
| 2015 | Not Beyond Us |
| 2014 | Debunk the Myths |
| 2013 | Cancer Myths - Get the Facts |
| 2012 | Together let's do something |
| 2010-2011 | Cancer can be prevented |
In honour of World Cancer Day, many health institutions and cancer centers make available on their Web sites various educational publications and materials about cancer and cancer prevention. In some places, World Cancer Day is recognized with a parade or a local fund-raising event, such as a walk, a gala, a concert, or an auction. In addition, some countries air special television broadcasts or radio programs about cancer during the week in which World Cancer Day occurs.
Because more than 70 percent of deaths from cancer occur in economically less-developed countries, World Cancer Day and the World Cancer Campaign have become important mechanisms for drawing attention to cancer prevention and treatment in these countries. For example, in Nicaragua, where access to cancer treatment centers was severely limited.
We believe that through our positive actions, we can reach the target of reducing the number of premature deaths from cancer and non-communicable diseases by one-third by 2030.
