The world cannot sit back and let the cancer burden grow was the message that underpinned World Cancer Day 2014, held this week on Tuesday February 4.
The day, which is held annually to raise awareness of the need to tackle cancer, was themed ‘Debunk the Myths’ to challenge public perception of the disease.
Myths noted by World Cancer Day include that people don’t need to talk about caner, that there are no signs or symptoms of cancer and there is nothing that a person can do about cancer.
To mark the day, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report which predicts that new cases of cancer will rise from around 12 million in 2012 to 22 million a year within the next two decades, although half of these could be avoided.
A number of pharma companies added their support to the campaign, with Celgene stating that it applauds the efforts of the organisation behind the annual initiative, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
Celgene added that it is helping to support cancer patients through its Innovation Impact Awards programme, which recognises the achievements of US-based not-for-profits organisations addressing the needs of patients, caregivers and healthcare providers.
Roche, which is the leading pharma company in oncology, also voiced its support.
In a blog post the company said it was ‘proud to have played an important role in delivering better outcomes for patients and improving understanding of how cancers develop and grow’.
The company’s CEO Severin Schwan added: “With our ever-expanding understanding of human biology and the drivers of tumour growth, we are at the forefront of a new era of cancer discovery.”
The European Commission (EC) marked World Cancer Day 2014 by publishing 10 little-known facts about its fight against cancer. Facts included that the EU invests over €180m each year in cancer research.