World Cancer Day takes place every year on 4 February and is the singular initiative under which the entire world can unite together in the fight against the global cancer epidemic.
World Cancer Day is an initiative of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), through which it aims to help save millions of preventable deaths each year by raising awareness and education about cancer, and pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action against the disease.
About 12.7 million people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer every year, and 600,000 succumb to the disease each month. In Israel, about 28,000 people are diagnosed with the disease annually and 10,000 succumb to the disease. It is estimated that by 2030 there will be 12 million cancer deaths worldwide.
This poses a clear threat not only to human health but also to national and global development and economic growth - the economic burden of cancer diseases outweighs that of other illnesses.
According to Miri Ziv, ICA Director General, "In spite of these perturbing statistics, it has been reported that up to 60% of deaths may be reduced by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, through early detection, by providing vaccines and allocating a share of the federal budget to finance interventions that have been proven to be effective".
Data presented by the World Health Organization (WHO), indicate that of 57 million deaths a year in 2008, 36 million (nearly two thirds) of these deaths were attributed to Non Communicable Diseases (NCS's). 80% of deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries, where the quality of medical treatment and accessibility thereto were low.
To read more about World Cancer Day, please click here.