World Cancer Day

World Cancer Day History

World Cancer Day aims to raise global public awareness about cancer: its prevention, detection, treatment, and the necessity for providing much-needed support to patients battling this disease. As an international observance, it emphasizes the importance of early cancer detection, informed conversation, preventative measures, and advancements in cancer treatment. The observance harps on the need for collective efforts to fight cancer, to create resources to lower the impact, and to make the fight against cancer a global priority.

The Union for International Cancer Control first introduced World Cancer Day in the year 2000. In the Indian context, this day is incredibly significant as, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India registered over a million new cancer cases and over 700,000 cancer deaths in 2018. Importantly, World Cancer Day aims to dispel common misconceptions prevalent in India and promotes the dissemination of factual information. The implicit objective of the observance includes spreading awareness of early detections, affordable treatment options, and the necessity for a proper palliative care infrastructure.

In India, observance of World Cancer Day consist of a diverse range of activities and initiatives. These include free health check-ups, cancer detection campaigns, panel discussions, seminars, and various charity, fundraising events organized by NGOs, and healthcare bodies across the country to fund cancer research and patient care. The Indian Government along with NGOs brings awareness campaigns to every corner of the nation. World Cancer Day is observed on 4th February. In India, the significance of this day is increasingly recognized, given the rising cancer cases and the burden of the disease on public health.

Facts about World Cancer Day

• The theme for World Cancer Day in 2023-2024 was Close the care gap. Everyone deserves access to cancer care.
• World Cancer Day was created on February 4, 2000 at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium in Paris. The Paris Charter aimed to promote research, prevent cancer, improve patient services, raise awareness, and mobilize the global community to make progress against cancer.
• According to the World Health Organization, at least one-third of all cancer cases are preventable. Lifestyle changes such as not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, keeping active, and eating right can prevent certain types of cancer.
• Almost 30-50% of cancers in Indian men and 10-20% in women are tobacco-related, making it the leading cause of cancer deaths in the country.
• North-eastern states, such as Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland, report high cancer rates, particularly stomach and esophageal cancers.

In the News and Trending in India for World Cancer Day

Top things to do in India for World Cancer Day

• Understand the risks of smoking and urge those that you know to quit smoking. Smoking accounts for 25% of all cancer deaths globally each year.
• Join the fundraising activities to support cancer victims, their families, and the continued research efforts to find a cure. Many communities offer Walks for the Cure and other types of fundraising events that can support cancer survivors or those who receive treatment.
• Learn to recognize some of the general signs and symptoms of cancer. Although they differ by the type of cancer, some of the American Cancer Society's general signs and symptoms are:
  1) the presence of an obvious mass (a bump)
  2) unexplained weight loss
  3) loss of appetite
  4) frequent fevers
• Read a book about Cancer:
  An Indian doctor in Auli - by Santosh Khandekar - This book presents various case studies, including some cancer-related cases in Rural India.
  A Cancer in the Family: Take Control of Your Genetic Inheritance - by Theodora Ross - This book gives reliable information about the genetic aspects of cancer.
• Get checked at a Cancer screening camp: Many hospitals and clinics in various parts of India offer free cancer screening camps on World Cancer Day. These camps aim to detect cancer in early stages, thus improving the chances of successful treatment.