National Cancer Awareness Day | 07 Nov 2020

Why in News

National Cancer Awareness Day is observed on 7th November each year in the country to spread awareness about the need of early cancer detection to fight the deadly disease timely.

Key Points

  • Cancer:
    • It is a large group of diseases that can start in almost any organ or tissue of the body when abnormal cells grow uncontrollably, go beyond their usual boundaries to invade adjoining parts of the body and/or spread to other organs. The latter process is called metastasizing and is a major cause of death from cancer.
    • A neoplasm and malignant tumor are other common names for cancer.
    • Lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach and liver cancer are the most common types of cancer in men, while breast, colorectal, lung, cervical and thyroid cancer are the most common among women.
  • Cancer Burden:
    • Cancer remains as one of the leading causes of adult illness and death due to chronic and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) world-over including in India.
    • According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and in 2018, there were approximately 18 million cases globally, of which 1.5 million were in India alone.
    • There were around 0.8 million cancer deaths in India in 2018 against 9.5 million globally. The numbers of new cases are estimated to double in India by 2040.
  • Deaths due to Cancer can be Prevented: Between 30% and 50% of cancer deaths could be prevented by modifying or avoiding the key risk factors. Key risk factors include tobacco use, alcohol use, diet, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, pollution, chronic infections, etc.
  • Treatment: Options include surgery, cancer medicines and/or radiotherapy, administered alone or in combination.
    • Palliative care, which focuses on improving the quality of life of patients and their families, is an essential component of cancer care.
  • Global Initiative: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) was created in 1965 by a resolution of the World Health Assembly, as the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization.
    • World Cancer Day is observed on 4th February every year.
  • Indian Initiatives:

Source:PIB