World Cancer Day
By Dr Arvind Kumar
Each year 4th February is observed as World Cancer Day. World Cancer Day is part of the World Cancer Campaign, which responds to the Charter of Paris adopted at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium on 4 February 2000. It called for a strong alliance between researchers, health-care professionals, patients, governments, industry partners and the media to fight cancer. 2011 is an exciting time which promises to be an important year with the UN Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) taking place in September this year. More than ever before there is a need for a concerted and coordinated fight against cancer, and we believe that World Cancer Day can play its part by providing an even bigger platform for your cancer messages.
According to broad estimates, about 12.7 million people discover that they have cancer and of them, 7.6 million die. Two-thirds of these distressing deaths occur in low and middle income countries. The World Health Organization cautions that unless immediate action is taken, deaths from cancer will increase by nearly 80 per cent by 2030; most of them occurring in low and middle income countries. That translates to nearly 26.0 million newly diagnosed cases and about 17.0 million deaths every year! In fact, cancer kills more people than do AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis put together. Measures to prevent cancer include eschewing tobacco, having good dietary habits, physical activity, maintaining a healthy diet, environmental health, prevention of cancer causing infections and limiting alcohol intake.
