World cancer day

World Cancer Day is an international day marked on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. It is an initiative of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). The day is used to advocate for greater access to services for cancer prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and palliative care. Events are held to promote ways to reduce the global burden of cancer and to encourage governments and individuals around the world to take action.

World Cancer Day is an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in understanding and treating the disease and to take stock of what still needs to be done. Every year, the World Cancer Day campaign focuses on a particular theme; in 2021, the theme is “I Am and I Will”, which encourages people to take action in the fight against cancer. People are encouraged to make pledges or commitments to prevent and control cancer, such as quitting smoking, exercising more, or eating more healthily. cancer day about 800

World Cancer Day is an international day marked on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. It is an initiative of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). The day is used to advocate for greater access to services for cancer prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and palliative care. Events are held to promote ways to reduce the global burden of cancer and to encourage governments and individuals around the world to take action.

World Cancer Day is an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in understanding and treating the disease and to take stock of what still needs to be done. Every year, the World Cancer Day campaign focuses on a particular theme; in 2021, the theme is “I Am and I Will”, which encourages people to take action in the fight against cancer. People are encouraged to make pledges or commitments to prevent and control cancer, such as quitting smoking, exercising more, or eating more healthily. They can also raise awareness of the disease and support cancer research and advocacy efforts. The World Cancer Day website provides resources and information on how to get involved in the campaign.World Cancer Day aims to prevent millions of deaths each year by raising awareness and education about cancer, and pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action against the disease.

UICC continues to expand on the success and impact of the day and is committed to ensuring that year-on-year the event is seen and heard by more people around the world. UICC does this by developping a campaign that serves the different organisational priorities of its members worldwide.

UICC offers tools and guidance to encourage its member organisations to run local cancer awareness campaigns that are aligned and adapted to the global World Cancer Day message.
On an above-country level, UICC works to seize digital, traditional and social media opportunities to raise public awareness of the day.
Through the continued support of members and key partners, World Cancer Day has firmly cemented itself in calendars across the world.

World Cancer Day is more than a day on the calendar. That’s why the campaign is built to inspire change and mobilise action long after the day itself. A multi-year campaign means more exposure and engagement, more opportunities to build global awareness and ultimately more impact. 

The theme for World Cancer Day 2022-2024 is Close the Care Gap(link is external). Every single person has the ability to make a difference, large or small, but together the health community can make real progress in reducing the global impact of cancer.