World Cancer Day 2022

The World Cancer Day is observed globally every year on 4th of February, and it aims to 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. Cancer is a leading cause of death, globally, an estimated 8.8 million people die from cancer every year. There are over 100 cancer types that exist nowadays and each of them requires unique diagnosis and treatment.

In the world, 17 people die every minute from cancer, with 70 percent of deaths occurring in developing countries. Child cancers also highlight the inequality factor that plays such a large role in cancer, as survival rates differ greatly between high-income and low-income countries. In addition, there are 77440 new cancer cases each year. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the progress being made in the fight against cancer was threatened but it has also created the opportunity to address systemic weaknesses in many national health systems.

The theme for the World Cancer Day is ‘Close the care gap’ and is all about understanding and recognising the inequities in cancer care around the globe. This is the year to question the status quo and help reduce stigma by listening to the perspectives of the people living with cancer and their communities, and letting those lived experiences guide our thoughts and actions. This Day is the one singular initiative under which the entire world can unite together in the fight against the global cancer epidemic.

We, at World Assembly of Youth, believe that the World Cancer Day is an opportunity to reflect on the multi-stakeholders and multidisciplinary nature of cancer control. We will succeed in the fight against cancer through strong collaboration between wide ranges of stakeholders, policymakers, researchers, civil society, medical professionals, academia, and patients. We all, as a collective or as individuals, can do our part to reduce the global burden of cancer and close the care gap.

Cancer is not just a health issue, it is increasingly becoming a social issue that requires attention and action at all levels. Therefore, we urge young people to start caring about their health by reflecting it in their lifestyle as to prevent is always better than to cure. We can work together to improve cancer control and achieve global targets to reduce premature mortality from cancer and NCDs.