World Cancer Day 2014 - February 2014
The World Cancer Day 2014 was observed across the world on 4 February 2014 with its focus on Target 5 of the World Cancer Declaration: Reduce stigma and dispel myths about cancer, under the tagline Debunk the myths.
This day is observed to raise the collective voices for improving the general knowledge around cancer and dismiss the misconceptions about the disease.
A new UN Agency report says that cancer is the world’s biggest killer and is expected to explode in the coming years. A new global cancer compiled by UN Agency the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) was released on the World Cancer Day 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The report shows:
• Cancer as a single entity is the biggest cause of mortality worldwide – it has estimated about 8.2 million deaths from cancer in 2012
• Over four years, the global cancer incidence has increased by 11 percent to an estimated 14.1 million cases in 2012 – equal to the population of India’s largest city (Mumbai)
• Cancer cases worldwide are forecast to rise by 75% and reach close to 25 million over the next two decades
The World Cancer Report 2014 has confirmed about existing inequality in the cancer control and care globally. It says that by 2025 almost 80 percent of the increase in the number of cancer deaths will occur in less developed regions.
It says that the larger proportion of cancer in the developing countries is caused due to infections like Human Papilloma virus (HPV). It accounts for more than 85% of all HPV-related cancer cases
The World Health Organisation (WHO) only 50 percent low and middle income countries have an operational National Cancer Control Plans.
In the present world, almost 4.2 million people prematurely (aged 30 to 69 years) die every year due to Congress across the world. Some of the important practical solutions to reduce premature deaths and they include
• Development of National Cancer Control Plans
• Awareness programmes against modifiable risks factors
• Cancer screening programmes – shown to have decreased some cancers by at least 25%1
• Introduction of HPV vaccination programmes
About World Cancer Day
4 February is a day on which the World Cancer Day takes place every year and is a single initiative under the UICC. The World Cancer Report 2014 has been compiled by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the report has recognized an authoritative source of global perspective and information on cancer. It is a cancer agency of the World Health Organization. The report was released in a collaboration of over 250 leading scientists from more than 40 countries, describing multiple aspects of cancer research and control.
UICC is a body that unites the cancer community for reduction of the burden of global cancer. It is the largest cancer-fighting organisation with 800 member organisations across 155 countries. It works with an aim of calling-in the world leaders to increase their support for cancer control measures as it is made in the UN Political Declaration.
World Cancer Day is used by UICC to lobby for
• To develop targets and indicators to measure the implementation of policies and approaches to prevent and control cancer
• Raise the priority accorded to cancer in the global development agenda
• Promote a global response to cancer