World Cancer Day 2021: History, Significance, and Theme of the day

New Delhi: On February 4, each year World Cancer Day is celebrated to raise awareness, strive for more equitable cancer treatment, mobilise action, and reduce the global impact of cancer worldwide.

History of World Cancer Day:

On 4 February 2000 at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium in Paris, Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), the largest and oldest international cancer organization christened the day as World Cancer Day. The Paris Charter “aims to promote research, prevent cancer, improve patient services, raise awareness and mobilize the global community to make progress against cancer, and includes the adoption of World Cancer Day", states the official website of World Cancer Day.

Significance and importance of World Cancer Day:

World Cancer Day promotes research and innovation, de-stigmatises the disease, raises awareness, creates public and political literacy, dispels myths and misconceptions around cancer, and raises the global commitment to fight cancer.

The theme of World Cancer Day 2021:

The theme for this year's World Cancer Day happens to be 'I Am And I Will'. It was initiated in 2019 and 2021 is the last year for this theme. The aim of the theme is to encourage personal actions that can have a ripple effect in causing a change in the global cancer impact.

Here's hoping for a Cancer-free world!