World Cancer Day: How Can You Contribute Towards the Noble Cause

 Lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and skin cancer are the most frequently diagnosed cancers across the world. Over 70% of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, where access to healthcare, early detection, and treatment may be limited. To raise awareness about cancer, World Cancer Day is organised on the 4th of February every year with awareness campaigns across the globe. These campaigns are for everyone including patients, loved ones, caregivers, friends, neighbours, researchers, advocates, practitioners and allies.

Let us discuss in detail about World Cancer Day, theme for 2025, history, signficance and how you can make a difference on your part for the noble cause.

Date and Theme of World Cancer Day 2025 

Every year a theme is set to explore different dimensions of people-centric cancer care and new ways to help patients. Following the same tradition, the theme for World Cancer Day 2025’s campaign is “United by Unique”. It further translates to, that everyone has their unique needs, unique perspectives and unique story but people concerned about cancer are united in a shared ambition to lower the cancer burden, to see cancer is treated successfully and to lead better lives with cancer.

The World Cancer Day campaign is to bring people together to create a world, where we look beyond the disease and see a patient as a human being first. The focus on creating people-centric care is to strengthen the community as a whole to join hands and form a better healthcare system.

History of World Cancer Day 

World Cancer Day was started in the year 2000 by The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), a global network of over 1,000 cancer-related organisations. It was organised to spread global awareness about cancer and its impact and to encourage action to reduce the burden of cancer across the world. The first World Cancer Day was celebrated on 4th February 2005, when the UICC members adopted the World Cancer Declaration, which includes specific goals to reduce the global impact of cancer. It further includes increasing access to prevent cancer, its early detection, treatment and care. Since then, participation in the day through various activities including public health campaigns and fundraisers has increased across the world.

With the initiative, the UICC offers tools and guidance to encourage the members to run local cancer awareness campaigns aligning and adapting the global World Cancer Day message. The body also works to spread awareness through digital, traditional and social media. 

Therefore, World Cancer Day 2025, not only offers awareness about cancer but also offers a chance to engage and create a global impact.

Significance of World Cancer Day 

World Cancer Day offers an opportunity to unite and serve a global cause to fight against the disease. The rapid increase in the number of cancer cases has raised an urgency to increase awareness, early diagnosis and effective preventive strategies.

With the collective efforts of healthcare professionals, organisations and individuals, the impact of cancer can be reduced. Furthermore, the education and lifestyle changes with global collaboration will help to improve the survival rates.

How to Contribute to World Cancer Day?

World Cancer Day encourages communities, healthcare providers and individuals to come forward and work together to spread awareness about cancer. Every contribution matters to support the fight. Your efforts can play a significant role in reducing the cancer burden and improving survival rates.

Here are some of the ways to contribute to the cause, especially on World Cancer Day:

• Spread Awareness: In most cases, the deaths are caused by the late diagnosis of cancer. Spreading awareness about the early signs, risk factors and preventive strategies can help to lower the death rate. You can use various methods to raise your voice for the cause. Start with encouraging your loved ones to do self-examination and regular screening.

• Clear the Misunderstanding about the Disease: People associate various myths with cancer and fear the disease. To clear these misunderstandings and break the barriers of fear, campaigns encouraging open discussions and promoting empathy, are organised on World Cancer Day. You can initiate a conversation on social media or community groups about the facts busting the myths related and encouraging people towards a healthy lifestyle. Share articles, videos and posts on the importance of cancer prevention and early detection through social media or you can even organise community campaigns in the banquet halls in the nearby hotels in your locality.

• Contribute to the Fund Raising Campaigns: The motive of World Cancer Day is not just limited to awareness campaigns through debates and speeches but it calls on government, healthcare providers and global organisations to prioritise cancer care and fund the research. The day offers a platform for advocating and implementing stronger cancer prevention policies, equal access to treatment and increasing funds for cancer research. Fundraisers are a crucial part of supporting cancer research and patient care. The money raised may be used for research, treatment and support services to contribute to the ongoing fight against cancer. You can participate in charity runs, walks or fundraisers organised by various cancer research organisations. You can also donate to your nearby cancer charity organisations and cancer research organisations. Moreover, you can also take the initiative to host fundraising events in your community.

• Volunteer for the Cancer Support Campaigns: Contributing your time for the cause can make a significant difference for lives affected by cancer. You can volunteer with your emotional support, helping with daily tasks or assisting in cancer care facilities. You can look out for local cancer support centres, hospitals or charitable organisations.

• Brings the World Together: The day focuses on the collective efforts to fight against cancer by encouraging countries, organisations and individuals to work together for the cause. The worldwide collective efforts will impact cancer-related deaths and enhance the quality of life of the affected ones.

• Motivate People Towards a Healthy Lifestyle: A healthier lifestyle not only can be helpful in the prevention of certain types of cancer but can also be a great factor in improving cancer patient’s health. You can encourage your family and friends to follow a healthy lifestyle to lower their risk of getting cancer. Motivate them to eat a nutritious and balanced diet, exercise and avoid excessive drinking and consumption of tobacco. Lead them with an example by yourself getting engaged in physical activities such as walking, running or performing yoga asanas. Raise awareness about the adverse effects of smoking and alcohol abuse by organising drives in your locality.

• Participate and Organise Blood Donation Drives: Donating blood is crucial for cancer patients as treatments like chemotherapy lead to a decreased blood count. Through donating blood or organising blood donation drives you can contribute to providing patients with this life-saving resource. Different charitable organisations organise blood camps, especially on World Cancer Day. You can not only donate blood there but also encourage your near ones to join the initiative and donate blood.

So this World Cancer Day if you are travelling to join a campaign at DS Research Centre, you can easily find budget-friendly hotels in Mumbai on Treebo Club’s website or app. Do not just limit yourself with just posting a story on social media but take the initiative to spread awareness in your community.