4th February 2018
A truly global event is taking place every year on 4th February, World Cancer Day unites the world’s population in the fight against cancer.
It aims to save millions of preventable deaths each year by raising awareness and education about the disease, pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action.
In 2018, World Cancer Day is taking place under the tagline ‘We can. I can.’, and explores how everyone – as a collective or as individuals – can do their part to reduce the global burden of cancer. Just as cancer affects everyone in different ways, everyone has the power to take action to reduce the impact that cancer has. World Cancer Day is a chance to reflect on what you can do, make a pledge and take action.
Why it is important
This year alone, nearly 8 million people will die of cancer, and left unchecked, the number of deaths will increase to 13.2 million per year by 2030. There is an urgent need for action to raise awareness of the disease and to develop practical strategies to reduce the burden of cancer.
With the recent adoption of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global health is entering a new era. Today, more than ever, a global commitment is needed to advance progress in the fight against cancer and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
World Cancer Day is the perfect opportunity to spread the word and create a global awareness of the disease in international media and global health and development programmes.
Origin of World Cancer Day
World Cancer Day was established by the Paris Charter adopted at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millenium in Paris on 4th February 2000.
This Charter aimed at the promotion of the research for curing as well as preventing the disease, upgrading the provided services to the patients, the sensitisation of the common opinion and the mobilisation of the global community against cancer.
Find more information on the World Cancer Day here.
“On World Cancer Day, we have an opportunity to collectively examine cancer control strategies to identify winning formulas that will accelerate progress. The goal for all of us is to ensure fewer people develop cancer, more people are successfully treated and that there is a better quality of life for people during treatment and beyond.” – Heather Bryant, VP, Cancer Control, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
Published in GI-Mail 01/2018 (English edition). Sign up for GI-Mail here. 
Tip: More up to date educational events can be found online in the Education Database »medicine & health«.
