Social Justice
World Cancer Day
- 04 Feb 2020
- 4 min read
Why in News
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and it’s specialized International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have released two reports on the occasion of World Cancer Day (4th February).
- The reports aim to set the global agenda on cancer, mobilise stakeholders and help countries set priorities for investing in cancer control and universal health coverage.
Key Points
- Global Scenario:
- The report has warned that one in five people worldwide would face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.
- The overall cancer cases in the world would rise by 60% by 2040 and tobacco use is responsible for 25% of cancer deaths in the world.
- Less than 15% of low- and middle-income countries offer comprehensive cancer treatment services through their public health systems, compared to higher-income countries.
- Better cancer treatment in high-income countries has resulted in a 20% drop in mortality between 2000 and 2015 whereas only 5% drop is observed in the case of low and middle-income countries.
- Thus cancer cases would rise by 81% in low- and middle-income countries by 2040 because of a lack of investment in prevention and care.
- At least 7 million lives could be saved over the next decade, by identifying the most appropriate science for each country's situation by basing strong cancer responses on universal health coverage, and by mobilizing different stakeholders to work together.
- National Scenario:
- 1 in 10 Indians will develop cancer during their lifetime, and 1 in 15 Indians will die of cancer.
- There are an estimated 1.16 million new cancer cases, 7,84,800 cancer deaths in India.
- The six most common cancer types in India are breast cancer, oral cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, and colorectal cancer. Together, these account for 49% of all new cancer cases.
- Tobacco-related cancers account for 34-69% of all cancers in men and constitute 10-27% of all cancers in women in most regions in India.
World Cancer Day
- World Cancer Day is organized by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and celebrated each year on 4 February.
- It aims to rally the international community to end the injustice of preventable suffering from cancer.
- The theme for 2020 is ‘I Am and I Will’ which acknowledges that everyone has the capacity to address the cancer burden.
International Agency for Research on Cancer
- The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) was created in 1965 by a resolution of the World Health Assembly, as the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization.
- The objective of the IARC is to promote international collaboration in cancer research.
- It comprises 27 member countries. India is a member of it.
- It is Headquartered at Lyon in France.
