World Cancer Day 2018: "We Can, I Can"

This Sunday, February 4, individuals, organisations and governments around the globe will come together for World Cancer Day.

The day, coordinated by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), is held to raise awareness and education about cancer, and aims to save millions of preventable deaths around the world each year.

The theme of "We Can, I Can" emphasises the need for governments and individuals to take action, focussing on what communities and members of the public can do to help save lives by achieving greater equity in cancer care, and by making cancer a priority at the highest political levels.

According to the UICC, more than 8 million people die of cancer around the world each year. At a local level, Cancer Council research released this week showed that the number of Australians living with and surviving cancer will rise to almost 1.9 million people in 2040 - an increase from 1 in 22 Australians today to 1 in 18 in the next 22 years.

Professor Sanchia Aranda, CEO of Cancer Council Australia and President of the UICC, said that as our population ages and grows, more Australians will be impacted by cancer as they or someone they love will be affected by cancer. 

"This all shows the growing need for more cancer support, as well as more awareness around prevention, early detection and research," she said.

"We have a lot of work to do when dealing with inequalities in outcome by cancer type and between different demographic groups in our community, and will face more challenges as many older cancer survivors will be living with the long-term effects of cancer and its treatment.

"But there's a lot of good news for Australians too - a global report released last month showed that we're in the top four countries in the world when it comes to cancer survival rates."

Professor Aranda encouraged all Australians to get involved with World Cancer Day.

"Whether you're part of a business, a community organisation, a government department or are acting as an individual, you can visit the World Cancer Day website to find materials and information on how to make your voice heard.

"You can think big, by running your own World Cancer Day campaign, or just simply share the messages on Facebook, Twitter or face-to-face conversations. Every action has an impact."

Visit worldcancerday.org to find out more, and to add your voice to the online campaign.