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World Cancer Day

The very name of cancer creates panic, fear and apprehension among the people of almost any age group. Regarded as one of the most killers in the history of humanity, the buzz and curiosity about the disease is widespread. For decades the world leaders and people associated with health sector were on the same page to earmark a day for this disease. However, the concept World Cancer Day came on 4 February, 2000 at the World Summit Paris, that was held to address the menace called cancer and how to address and tackle this disease and create an awareness at world level.

The World Cancer Day came into existence because of the onerous efforts put by the Union for International Cancer Control, or UICC. It is worthwhile to mention here that UICC is the largest and oldest international cancer organisation. This forum is dedicated towards uniting and supporting the cancer community across the globe so that the dream of reducing global cancer burden could be achieved and cancer control could remain a priority on the global health and development agenda.

World Cancer Day 2025 Theme: 'United By Unique'

Though the World Cancer Day is celebrated on 4th February every year. But, this year 2025, the day holds even a greater significance since the world fraternity is still grappling with rising menace of cancer. The theme of World Cancer Day 2025  is "United By Unique." This theme underlines the significance of unified action as well as individual care and precaution in the war against this menacingly bad disease.

The theme draws the attention of one and all. One of the most prominent reasons of this inquisitiveness is because it highlights the importance of individualized care in the treatment of cancer. The theme spreads a loud and clear message that the cancer treatment journey of an individual happens to be quite unique and necessitates tailored approaches for diagnosis, treatment and support. The theme of this year underscores the need of collective and concerted efforts emanating from the affected individual, communities and governments so that the dream of cancer-free world could see the light of the day.

World Cancer Day 2024 Theme: "Close the Care Gap"

The theme of World Cancer Day 2024 was Close the Care Gap. It is worthwhile to mention here that this theme aimed at addressing disparities in cancer care and it’s a multi-year campaign(2022-2024). The very purpose of this campaign is to identify and tackle the challenges faced by the marginalized sections of the societies, specifically from third-world countries.

Why does the World Cancer Day Matter?

Given the lethal effect of having cancer, this disease attracts the attention of the health care professionals of the world almost naturally. If the recent statistics of World Health Organization, or WHO are to be believed, nearly 1 crore people lose their life due to this deadly disease every year. Needless to say, this is the disease that transcends boundaries, particular age groups, gender, or any socio-economic background.

The Cancer Awareness Day is quite pivotal as the day has been able to draw attention worldwide towards the need of a dedicated effort and urgent action so that the burden of this disease could be lessened to a significant level. That the day is important can be understood from the following cogent reasons:

  1. Educating the People at Large: People tend to be casual when it comes to responding initial signs and symptoms of cancer. Since they lack awareness, they fail to resort to prevention strategies. And Cancer Awareness Day bridges this knowledge gap by providing accurate and accessible information.
  2. Helps Early Detection: Cancer Awareness Day makes people aware of the importance of the early diagnosis of this disease so that the chances of successful treatment could be improved. This day instils a sense of awareness about this disease among the people and they feel the need of having regular health check-ups, screening, etc.
  3. Bats for Better Care: People living in low and middle-income countries are deprived of effective cancer treatment. They can ill afford to have a costly treatment that this disease demands. This day bats for better care and highlights the need for equitable healthcare solutions.
  4. Show Solidarity: This day symbolises support for patients of this disease. People associated with the sufferer of this disease express their solidarity. And that in turn, make the sufferer feel that he or she is not alone in the fight against cancer.

The Rising Cancer Burden: A Global Challenge

That cancer is spreading its tentacles rapidly and globally can be easily understood from the single fact that according to IARC(International Agency for Research on Cancer), by the year 2050, there will be 85% rise in the number of new cases. And the chunk of these cases will come out from the middle and low-income countries. In 2025 itself, the number of cases of cancer patients could rise to 1.57 million.

Given the phenomenal rise of the cancer patients in India, the health care professionals are leaving no stone unturned in educating people of this country about this deadly disease. Apart from this , they do also count several factors that give birth to cancer. Some of these factors are as follows:

  • Lifestyle Changes: In today’s online world, everything of necessities have come on fingertips. Right from morning hours, to late night, in order to have things of utilities/necessities, the only thing that you need to do is to just order online. You need milk, ok, just order online, or you need dinner, just order your meal. It will come to your place. But, this lifestyle change leads to cancer. Apart, the consumption of tobacco and alcohol are also the major contributing factors. Simply put, indolent lifestyle, unhealthy diets and consumption of tobacco and alcohol are major risk factors.
  • Environmental Factors: According to the findings of National Cancer Institute, environmental factors contribute to the 80% to 90% of cancer cases.  Importantly, outdoor and indoor air pollutants, coupled with soil and drinking water contaminants are included in environmental factors. The recent study shows that an elevated risk of mesothelioma has been prevalent among those individuals that have residential exposure to asbestos.
  • Aging Populations: The immune system of a person keeps on getting weaker with age. As immune system weakens, the chances of getting this disease increases. In this way, one can say with absolute certainty that the likelihood of this disease is inversely proportional to the depleting immune system of a person. Simply put, aging population tends to be more vulnerable to this disease in comparison with the young ones.
  • Lack of Awareness: Undoubtedly. Lack of cancer does contribute immensely for the high death rate from cancer. Unawareness about this deadly disease gives rise to delayed diagnosis and treatment. It may perpetuate the stigma associated with it and delay in seeking help if any cancer related symptoms are seen. However, the proper health education and sensitization programs regarding cancer and its different aspects can create awareness among the people at large.

Cancer Prevention: What Can We Do?

When it comes to prevention of cancer, it is worthwhile to mention that all cancers are not curable. The stage of cancer happens to be important. The silver lining, however is, that healthy lifestyle choices can lower the risk of this disease to a great extent.

Listed below are some of the  key prevention measures:

  1. Avoid Tobacco and Alcohol: Among the several causative ages of cancer, the use of tobacco and alcohol happens to be quite prominent. Be it India, or any part of the world, consumption of these items is the leading cause of cancer. Therefore, in order to stay away from this deadly disease, staying away from smoking and consuming alcohol is a must.
  2. Take a Healthy Diet:  Taking meals on time alone  is not adequate. It is imperative to ensure that the diet has small portion of processed and red meats and has greater portion of whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Being mindful of the diet taken is the surest way to prevent this menacing disease.
  3. Stay Agile: Staying agile, taking 10,000 footsteps daily, using stairs instead of lift, maintaining healthy weight, etc. can prove to be instrumental in staying away from this disease. Stick to a routine that demands more and more physical activities.
  4. Protect Yourself from the Sun: In order to stay away from cancer, it is imperative to use sunscreen and wear protective clothing. These measures will definitely reduce the risk of skin cancer.
  5. Regular Screenings: You can also prevent this disease by consulting your doctor about the recommended tests according to your age group or your vulnerability(family history of this disease) to this disease. Vaccines for viruses, such as HPV(Human Papillomavirus) can also prevent certain types of cancer. In simple words, timely detection with the help of regular screening can save lives.