What is World Cancer Day?
Each year 9.6 million people die from cancer. By 2030, that number is projected to substantially increase, impacting 13 million individuals. Yet, experts indicated that 1/3 of cases can be prevented and another 1/3 of cases could potentially be cured if early detection and appropriate treatments are undertaken. Cancer carries a major financial and psychosocial health impact globally. Psychosocial health can be understood as the interaction between the social, mental, emotional and spiritual states of being that affect us all.
World cancer day annually takes place on February 4th. It was an initiative that had initially begun in 2000 by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). This organization is the largest on the global front in the development of advocacy initiatives to reduce the global cancer burden.
What has been the impact of this initiative?
World Cancer Day was trending on Twitter and garnered over 700,000 social media posts and 617,000 unique visitors on their website. 113 countries were involved in the event, with a reach extending into parliaments, businesses, shopping malls, and schools.
Why is this initiative important?
Cancer education, awareness, and knowledge can significantly reduce the impact cancer has on society. Initiatives such as this can result in more people getting screened for cancer, or lead to lifestyle modifications that would reduce cancer development risk. Early breast screening, for example, has been shown to have a substantial impact on early detection and subsequent survivability of the individual. In the case of lung cancer, eliminating smoking or reducing your exposure to second-hand smoke can significantly decrease your potential chances of acquiring the disease.
What Can Ezra Do?
Our service consists of a full-body cancer screen to detect abnormalities that may potentially be indicative of cancer. We use MRI technology as it does not expose our members to any harmful ionizing radiation. It is a safe service that may play a role in detecting cancer early.
“The bravest thing we can do about cancer is to fight it fiercely and relentlessly.”
– Alex Kahn, President of La Ligue Contre
