World Cancer Day is held on the 4th of February worldwide.
It is an initiative of the Union for International Cancer Control, the largest and oldest international cancer organisation. UICC unites the cancer community to promote greater equity and implement cancer control into the world health agenda.
For the last few years, the theme of World Cancer Day has been “Close the Care Gap”.
Every year, 10 million people die from cancer. According to the World Cancer Day organisation, these numbers are more than HIV, AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined, and will likely raise to 13 million by 2030. The most common cancers are prostate, breast, bowel, melanoma, and lung.
The Day is about recognising the global cancer burden and inspiring the world to work together to make a difference, regardless if that difference is big or small.
Many people around the globe face challenges when needing cancer care, including in-come, education, geographical location, and discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, age, dis-ability, sexual orientation, and lifestyle.
For more information about World Cancer Day, visit www.worldcancerday.org
