Cancer kills more people on global scale

Ranjan K Baruah *

World Cancer Day logo / Graphics courtesy of worldcancerday.org

We may or may not agree but cancer is one of the killer diseases in the world and it kills more than other diseases. It has negative impact on families and societies.

Currently, 8.2 million people die from cancer worldwide every year. Urgent action needs to be taken to raise awareness about the disease and to develop practical strategies to address the cancer burden. We are aware that cancer is a disease which occurs when changes in a group of normal cells within the body lead to uncontrolled growth causing a lump called a tumour; this is true of all cancers except leukaemia (cancer of the blood).

If left untreated, tumours can grow and spread into the surrounding normal tissue, or to other parts of the body via the bloodstream and lymphatic systems, and can affect the digestive, nervous and circulatory systems.

Early detection and proper treatment may help survive from cancer but if not treated on right time then it is difficult for someone to get rid of cancer. As this disease has become a global concern, so, there are many initiatives started to promote and bring more awareness about the same.

World Cancer Day (WCD) which is observed on 4th February is the ideal opportunity to spread the word and raise the profile of cancer in people's minds and in the world's media. World Cancer Day, organized by the Union for International Cancer Control, is an opportunity to highlight the wide range of actions needed to effectively prevent, treat and control the many forms of cancer.

This year's theme is "Not beyond us", offers World Health Organisation an opportunity to demonstrate the Organization's policies and programmes for countries to reduce their cancer burden. The Global action plan for the prevention and control of Non Communicable Diseases 2013-2020 offers the overall framework for country action. WCD 2015 shall take a positive and proactive approach to the fight against cancer, highlighting that solutions do exist across the continuum of cancer which are within the reach.

This year's campaign shall explore how we can implement what we already know in the areas of prevention, early detection, treatment and care, and in turn, open up to the exciting prospect that we can impact the global cancer burden – for the better. WCD is a unique opportunity to raise awareness that there is much that can be done at an individual, community and governmental level, to harness and mobilise these solutions and catalyse positive change.

The 2015 campaign will be articulated around four key areas of focus: choosing healthy lives; delivering early detection; achieving treatment for all; maximizing quality of life. The campaign being held around the world aims to save millions of preventable deaths each year by raising awareness and education about the disease and pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action

WCD is an initiative of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), a leading international non-governmental organisation that unites the cancer community to reduce the global cancer burden, to promote greater equity, and to integrate cancer control into the world health and development agenda.

Founded in 1933 and based in Geneva, UICC's growing membership of over 800 organisations across 155 countries, features the world's major cancer societies, ministries of health, research institutes, treatment centres and patient groups. Additionally, the organisation is a founding member of the NCD Alliance, a global civil society network that now represents almost 2,000 organisations in 170 countries

The global cancer epidemic is set to continue rising, placing further strains on both individuals and the families, and the societies in which they live. The number of cancer cases and related deaths worldwide is estimated to double over the next 20-40 years.

With the greatest increase in low and middle income countries; those least equipped to cope with both the social and economic impact of the disease. It is expected that by 2030 there will be 12 million cancer deaths per year and the global costs of cancer are estimated to rise to 458 billion.

Cancer kills more people on a global scale than AIDS, malaria and TB combined. It is important to spread more awareness so that early detection may help many people around the world as it has been seen how families suffer where there are cancer patient. Together we can make a difference and let's all participate in the fight against cancer.