Cancer has been marked as one of the deadliest diseases in the world for which a complete cure hasn’t been found yet. International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) World Cancer Report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that “One in every 10 Indians develop cancer in some stage of their life, and 1 in every 15 will die of it”.
Lifestyle factors play a major role in the development of Cancer. breast cancer and colorectum cancer mainly develop due to being overweight and having low physical activity.
National Cancer Awareness Day celebrated on Nov 7th, is mainly to aware people of its seriousness, the need to detect cancer early on, and the important lifestyle changes one must take to fight the disease.
According to WHO, cancer is a large group of diseases that can form in any organ or tissue of the body and occurs when abnormal cells grow rapidly and even spread to other parts of the body. It has been said that due to cancer people are dying in large numbers (mostly men) globally and mainly due to lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach and liver cancers. While women suffer mainly from breast, colorectal, lung, cervical and thyroid cancers.
Cancer Awareness Day in India – Its History
National Cancer Awareness Day was first started by Dr Harshvardhan, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare in India in September 2014. A committee was formed then which decided to spread awareness regarding cancer to people, its treatment, and how early detection of it can drastically improve survival rates. Since then it has been celebrated every year not only to raise awareness but also to prevent the development of cancer.
Cancer Awareness Day in India – Its Significance
The celebration of National Cancer Awareness Day is very crucial because it will make people aware of its implications that can be serious if not treated on time and the importance of early detection and prevention. More than 50% of cancer cases are in advanced stages when detected which can greatly affect chances of survival. Therefore, early detection can help in full recovery and elimination of it from the roots.
Spotting the cancer or early detection can help you to undergo various screening methods which will help in slowing down the disease or prevent further cancer development.