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WORLD CANCER DAY
February 4

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death all around the world. There are more than 200 different kinds of cancer that affect humans, and nearly 8 million people die each year from cancer. Cancer is a class of disease with different causes. When a person has cancer, cells in an affected part of their body start to grow uncontrollably and form tumors. There are two types of tumors, benign and malignant. Benign tumors are not cancerous. These tumors don't continue to grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body, but malignant tumors do. Malignant tumors spread through the bloodstream or through the body's lymphatic system.

Some types of cancer are detected when patients have certain symptoms commonly seen in these diseases; others are detected with routing screenings such as mammograms for breast cancer, pap smears for cervical cancer and prostate exams for prostate cancer. Once the disease is diagnosed, doctors may prescribe a wide range of treatments including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, as well as various alternative and experimental therapies. Many cancers have a higher cure rate when they are detected and treated in the early stages of the disease, and for this reason, health experts stress the importance of routine screenings. Unfortunately because some cancers are more difficult to cure, many treatment programs aim to alleviate symptoms and make the patient more comfortable, rather than attempt to cure the disease. Many researchers all around the world are working to find more effective treatments and cures for the many types of cancer.

Although there are many different types and causes of cancer, and medical researchers don't understand all of the causes, there are many risk factors that increase the likelihood of cancer, as well as many lifestyle changes that decrease the chances of developing cancer. Tobacco use is the single greatest risk factor; it causes nearly 1 in 4 cancer deaths. Other risk factors include: lack of physical activity, alcohol abuse, unhealthy low vegetable/fruit diet ; air pollution and sexually transmitted HPV-infection.

While researchers work to find better cures for cancer, early detection and prevention are important in the global battle against cancer.

Since 1988, the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation has coordinated National Cancer Survivors Day on the first Sunday in June as an international "Celebration of Life." Events and activities take place around the world to show that "life after a cancer diagnosis can be meaningful and productive." A free planning guide is available on their website (www.ncsdf.org) to help any community to host an event.

February 4 is observed each year as World Cancer Day to "unite the world in the fight against the disease through raising awareness, educating the public, and lobbying for change." (worldcancerday.org)

Do One Thing to help cure cancer
1) participate in a walk or run or other cancer fundraising or awareness raising activity;
2) urge your legislators to fund cancer research;
3) join more than ½ million people in signing the World Cancer Declaration http://www.worldcancerday.org/wcd-sign-declaration

Links

World Health Organization: World Cancer Day
National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation
World Cancer Research Fund International
Union For International Cancer Control
American Cancer Society
National Breast Cancer Foundation

CURE CANCER QUOTES

 

World Cancer
Day
Handouts

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Dr. Patch Adams


David Brower

Michael J. Fox


Terry Fox


Hubert Humphrey

Thomas Jefferson


Helen Keller


Nicole Kidman

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Abraham Lincoln

Bob Marley

Barack Obama

Gregory Peck

Christopher Reeve

Dana Reeve

Eleanor Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Robert Alan Silverstein

Paul Simon

Dr. Benjamin Spock

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Marlo Thomas

Mark Twain

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Do One Thing Calendar

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* Win a scholarship - create a 30sec-1min YouTube video inviting others to DO ONE THING ...

Kids | Youth | Adults | Calendar | Quotes | Heroes | Stories | The EMILY Fund | Scholarships
DO ONE THING and BetterWorld Kids Clubs are projects of The EMILY Fund (The Emily Silverstein Fund, Inc.)
Hero portraits are included for illustration purposes only - no celebrity endorsement implied

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