The World Cancer Day, celebrated every year on February 4th, is an initiative of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). UICC is the largest and oldest international cancer organisation dedicated to uniting the cancer community to reduce the global cancer burden, promote greater equity, and integrate cancer control into the world health and development agenda.
What is cancer?
Cancer is a disease which occurs when changes in a group of normal cells within the body lead to uncontrolled, abnormal growth forming a lump called a tumour; this is true of all cancers except leukaemia (cancer of the blood).
If left untreated, tumours can grow and spread into the surrounding normal tissue, or to other parts of the body via the bloodstream and lymphatic systems, and can affect the digestive, nervous and circulatory systems or release hormones that may affect body function.
Cancer can be classified according to the type of cell they start from. There are five main types:
- Carcinoma: Carcinomas may invade the surrounding tissues and organs and metastasise to the lymph nodes and other areas of the body. The most common forms of cancer in this group are breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer.
- Sarcoma: A type of malignant tumour of the bone or soft tissue. The most common forms of sarcoma are leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma and osteosarcoma.
- Lymphoma and Myeloma: Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which runs all through the body, and can therefore occur anywhere. Myeloma starts in the plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that produces antibodies to help fight infection. This cancer can affect the cell’s ability to produce antibodies effectively.
- Leukaemia: Leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells and bone marrow, the tissue that forms blood cells. There are several subtypes; common are lymphocytic leukaemia and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.
- Brain and spinal cord cancers: These are known as central nervous system cancers. Some are benign while others can grow and spread.
According to the World Health Organization, cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020, the latest year available. The most common in 2020 (in terms of new cases of cancer) were:
- Breast (2.26 million cases);
- Lung (2.21 million cases);
- Colon and rectum (1.93 million cases);
- Prostate (1.41 million cases);
- Skin (non-melanoma) (1.20 million cases); and
- Stomach (1.09 million cases).
The most common causes of cancer death in 2020 were:
- Lung (1.80 million deaths);
- Colon and rectum (916 000 deaths);
- Liver (830 000 deaths);
- Stomach (769 000 deaths);
- Breast (685 000 deaths).
Each year, approximately 400 000 children develop cancer. The most common cancers vary between countries. Cervical cancer is the most common in 23 countries.
Causes of cancer
Cancers can be caused by a number of different factors and, as with many other illnesses, most cancers are the result of exposure to a number of different causal factors.
Modifiable risk factors include:
- Alcohol;
- Being overweight or obese;
- Diet and nutrition;
- Physical activity;
- Tobacco;
- Ionising radiation;
- Work place hazards;
Non-modifiable risk factors include:
- Age;
- Cancer-causing substances (carcinogens);
- Genetics;
- The immune system.
Signs and symptoms of cancer
With so many different types of cancers, the symptoms are varied and depend on where the disease is located. However, there are some key signs and symptoms to look out for, including:
- Unusual lumps or swelling;
- Coughing, breathlessness or difficulty swallowing;
- Changes in bowel habit;
- Unexpected bleeding;
- Unexplained weight loss;
- Fatigue;
- Pain or ache;
- New mole or changes to a mole;
- Complications with urinating;
- Unusual breast changes;
- Appetite loss;
- A sore or ulcer that won’t heal;
- Heartburn or indigestion;
- Heavy night sweats.
Treatment
- Surgery: If a cancer has not spread, surgery can remove the entire cancer which may completely cure the disease.
- Radiotherapy: Radiation treatment or radiotherapy uses high-energy rays to reduce a tumour or destroy cancer cells as a stand-alone treatment and in some cases in combination with other cancer treatments.
- Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy uses chemicals to interfere with the way cells divide so that cancer cells will destroy themselves.
- Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy uses the body’s own immune system to fight the cancer tumour. Immunotherapy may treat the whole body by giving an agent that can shrink tumours.
- Hormone therapy: Several cancers have been linked to some types of hormones, including breast and prostate cancer. Hormone therapy works to change hormone production in the body so that cancer cells stop growing or are killed completely.
- Gene therapy: The goal of gene therapy is to replace damaged genes with ones that work to address a root cause of cancer: damage to DNA.
World Cancer Day 2022-2024 theme: Close the Care Gap
World Cancer Day is more than a day on the calendar. The campaign is built to inspire change and mobilise action long after the day itself. For this reason, a multi-year campaign has been launched, to achieve more exposure, engagement, and opportunities to build global awareness and ultimately more impact.
#1 2022: Realising the problem
The first year of the ‘Close the Care Gap’ campaign was all about understanding and recognising the inequities in cancer care around the globe. It’s about having an open mind, challenging assumptions and looking at the hard facts:
- Inequity in cancer care costs lives.
- People who seek cancer care hit barriers at every turn.
- Income, education, location and discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability and lifestyle are just a few of the factors that can negatively affect care.
- The gap affects everyone, including you and your loved ones.
- These barriers are not set in stone. They can be changed.
#2 2023: Uniting our voices and taking action
As the campaign continues, it will celebrate real-world progress in its many forms and allow that momentum to fuel our fight for fairness.
“We’ll do more than spread the word—we’ll shout it from the rooftops. We’ll build stronger alliances and innovative new collaborations.”
The campaign’s actions can take countless forms: motivating neighbours to provide transport to cancer treatment for a fellow resident or ensuring that healthy and affordable food options are offered at the local school.
#3 2024: Together, we challenge those in power
The last year of the campaign is all about bringing attention to a higher level. It will raise voices to engage leaders, aiming to shake the very foundations of injustice, and become lifelong advocates, fully equipped to push for lasting change.
“Together, we will make sure our leaders know that we demand a commitment to prioritising cancer, to creating innovative strategies designed to confront inequity and to investing our resources to achieve a just and cancer-free world.”
