World Cancer Day
February 4 is World Cancer Day. This disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Unless drastic measures are taken, cancer will claim the lives of 84 million people in the next ten years. Every year, 10 million new cases of cancer are registered worldwide.
Back in 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched an initiative to reduce the number of cancer deaths by two percent annually.
Experts draw attention to the fact that nowadays the causes of cancer are well known, which makes it possible to prevent at least one third of new cases. There are also techniques that allow detecting this disease at an early stage and effectively treating another third of cases. There are effective pain relief and palliative care schemes for all cancer patients. However, all this knowledge is not always applied in practice. Many States do not consider cancer prevention and control to be priority areas.
WHO strongly recommends that all countries of the world adopt effective national cancer control programs and use the resources available for these purposes not only for treatment, but also for preventive measures.
In 2009, the theme of World Cancer Day is a healthy and active childhood with a special focus on the long–term negative consequences caused by lack of physical activity, overweight and obesity.