Not beyond us!

Not beyond us!

“It’s wonderful to have such a strong and empowering statement for World Cancer Day 2015, (4 February) and I know it will strike a chord with many in the cancer community,” said Chief Executive of the Cancer Society, Claire Austin.

“The theme ‘Not beyond us,’ is a positive and proactive message, highlighting solutions do exist, and that they are within our reach. The message applies across research, treatment, reducing risk, screening, advocacy, supportive care and hospice care.”

“World Cancer Day is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness at an individual, community and government level. By moving forward together we really do have the potential to say, Cancer - it is not beyond us.”

This year World Cancer Day focuses on four areas:

Choosing healthy lives
Reducing the social and environmental risk factors for cancer and empowering people to make healthy choices, are key components to achieving the global overarching goal of reducing premature deaths from non-communicable diseases by 25% by 2025 and reaching the aspirational targets of the World Cancer Declaration.

Delivering early detection
Ensuring the availability of, and access to, early detection programmes for cancer can significantly reduce the cancer burden in all countries.

Achieving treatment for all
All people have the right to access quality, effective cancer treatment and services on equal terms, regardless of geography and without suffering economic hardship as a consequence.

Maximising quality of life
Understanding and responding to the full impact of cancer on emotional, mental and physical wellbeing levels will maximise the quality of life for patients, their families and carers.

“Disparities between people from different settings are growing, particularly in access to prevention, treatment and palliative care. Now, more than ever there is a need for investment in the infrastructure, particularly in the area of workforce capacity,” added Ms Austin.

World Cancer Day is an initiative of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), a non-governmental organisation that unites the cancer community to reduce the global cancer burden, to promote greater equity, and to integrate cancer control into the world health and development agenda. Founded in 1933 and based in Geneva, UICC’s has a growing membership of over 800 organisations across 155 countries.

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