World Cancer Day

Today is World Cancer Day, which takes place annually on 4 February and aims to raise public awareness of the prevention, research and treatment of cancer. To mark World Cancer Day 2019, the World Cancer Organization Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) is calling for information on the possibilities of cancer prevention and early detection.

The day was agreed in February 2000 at the "World Summit against Cancer" in the "Charter of Paris" and was first planned and organized in 2006 by the Union internationale contre le cancer (UICC), the World Health Organization and other organizations.

UICC coordinates World Cancer Day, which, according to its own figures, is attended by nearly 300 organizations in 86 countries worldwide. Experts estimate that about half of all cancers could be avoided by a healthy lifestyle. In 2010, on the occasion of World Cancer Day, Nobel Laureate Harald zur Hausen for the first time launched a cross-border initiative with the aim of encouraging parents and grandparents all over the world to adopt health-conscious behaviour in order to be role models for their children and grandchildren.

According to data from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in February 2018, around 14 million people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer every year and 8.8 million die of cancer every year. The AACR estimates that by 2030 there will be about 21 million new cases worldwide and about 13 million deaths from cancer worldwide.

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