World Cancer Day observed

KARACHI: World Cancer Day 2017 is being observed on Saturday with the theme of “We can, I can”, ARY News reported.

World Health Organization (WHO) stated that cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumours and neoplasms.

The occasion is marked each year on 4th February by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). The occasion provides an opportunity to urge the international community to end the injustice of preventable suffering from the disease.

Tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, infections, environmental pollution, radiation are said to the be some of the major main causes of cancer.

WHO stated 8.8 million people died from cancer, mostly in low- and middle-income countries in 2015 and latest figures have shown that the numbers are constantly on the rise.

The international health body mentioned that collaboration with other health agencies and organization is critical to produce a stronger response against this disease that needlessly claims the lives of millions around the world each year.

The health organization stated, “Globally, common challenges to cancer control are delays in cancer diagnosis and inaccessible treatment. Even in countries with strong health systems and services, many cancer cases are diagnosed at a late-stage, when they are harder to treat successfully.”