World Cancer Day being observed today
- By Web Desk -
- Feb 04, 2019
World Cancer Day is being observed across the globe, on Monday (today) to create awareness and educate people about this deadly disease and how to fight it through screening and early detection.
This year, the Union for International Cancer Control, which organizes World Cancer Day, is launching a new 3-year campaign under the name of : “I Am and I Will.” It calls for a personal commitment to help reduce the global burden of cancer.
Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases characterized by the growth of abnormal cells beyond their usual boundaries that can then invade adjoining parts of the body and/or spread to other organs.
Read more: Cancer patients in poor countries needlessly denied pain relief: WHO
Other common terms used are malignant tumours and neoplasms. Cancer can affect almost any part of the body and has many anatomic and molecular subtypes that each requires specific management strategies.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and is estimated to account for 9.6 million deaths in 2018.
Lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach and liver cancer are the most common types of cancer in men, while breast, colorectal, lung, cervix and thyroid cancer are the most common among women.
Tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, infections, environmental pollution, radiation are said to the be some of the major main causes of cancer.