World Cancer Day is a global event that we celebrate every year on February 4. On this day, we unite in an effort to save millions of lives by raising awareness of the disease
Why is World Cancer Day so important? Because the cancer epidemic is global and developing rapidly.
Every year in the world, 8.2 million people die from the disease, of which 4 million are between the ages of 30 and 69. The number of Bulgarian citizens suffering from cancer is around 300 thousand, but not all of them are undergoing active treatment at the moment. Some of them are in the so-called remission or subject to active follow-up.
This year World Cancer Day is under the motto "Not Outside Us". On this day, we emphasize that solutions exist in the process of disease development and that they are in our hands. How to apply what we already know about prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and care. We will target the existing prospect that we can influence the global development of the disease and achieve a positive outcome. World Cancer Day provides us with a unique opportunity to raise awareness of the disease and show that we can do a lot as individuals, society and country to change things for the better. By moving forward together, we will have the potential to say that the fight against cancer is in our hands.
World Cancer Day this year focuses on four main aspects:
• He althy Lifestyle
• Early detection
• Treatment for all
• Better quality of life
Malignant diseases are a significant problem of our modern society, where increasing trends continue worldwide. According to data from the World He alth Organization, cancer is the leading cause of death caused by chronic non-communicable diseases, and one in five deaths worldwide is a result of cancer. Almost 80% of malignant diseases are due to the factors of the external environment, the way of life and livelihood of people and their behavior, habits and customs. The role of the 4 main risk factors has been proven - the use of tobacco and tobacco products, unhe althy diet, reduced physical activity and alcohol abuse.
In the European Union, cancer is the second most common cause of death after cardiovascular disease. Every year, two out of ten women and three out of ten men die of cancer, and approximately 3.2 million Europeans are diagnosed with it. Statistics show that the incidence of cancer in men and women continues to rise despite better prevention and treatment. With the increase in life expectancy and the age of the population, an increase in the number of cancer patients is expected. The good news is that about 40% of cancers are potentially preventable.
Purely statistically, the incidence of cancer in Bulgaria does not differ much from that in the whole of Europe. The increase in newly diagnosed cancers is a worldwide trend, caused by a number of known and researched factors that are tolerated by the modern way of life. What we are known for in negative European he alth statistics is the number of late detected cases, which results in negative factors such as survival from otherwise treatable and controllable locations.
Diagnosed late cases, which are a challenge both to medicine and to the taxpayer's pocket, are what keep cancer infamous. And if we are not able to influence the world statistics, we can and must turn them in the right direction. In the 21st century, being diagnosed with stage four cancer is simply unforgivable! And it's a very bad sign for any he alth system that allows it.
