February 4th is World Cancer Day!
What is World Cancer Day?
World Cancer Day takes place every year on February 4th with the overall goal of “getting as many people as possible around the globe to talk about cancer on this day in order to unite the world’s population in the fight against cancer” (Union for International Cancer Control, UICC, 2018). It also “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” (UICC, 2018).
General Cancer Statistics (National Cancer Institute, NIH, 2018 & UICC, 2018):
- Currently, 8.8 million people die from cancer worldwide every year, out of which, 4 million people die prematurely (aged 30 to 69 years).
- The number of people living beyond a cancer diagnosis reached nearly 14.5 million in 2014 and is expected to rise to almost 19 million by 2024.
- The number of new cancer cases will rise to 22 million within the next two decades.
- National expenditures for cancer care in the United States totaled nearly $125 billion in 2010 and could reach $156 billion in 2020.
- More than 60% of the world’s new cancer cases occur in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America; 70% of the world’s cancer deaths also occur in these regions.
World Cancer Day is a great opportunity to raise awareness and spread the word about cancer within people’s minds and throughout the global media! Please visit the links below to learn more about World Cancer Day and how to get involved:
http://www.worldcancerday.org/about
http://www.worldcancerday.org/get-involved
References
Union for International Cancer Control’s [UICC] World Cancer Day (2018). About. Retrieved from http://www.worldcancerday.org/about
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ [HHS] National Cancer Institute (2018). Cancer Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics
*All pictures retrieved from UICC, 2018
