World Cancer Day 2021

4 February

Theme: #IAmAndIWill

Each year on 4 February, World Cancer Day empowers all of us across the world to show support, raise our collective voice, take personal action, and press our governments to do more.

The importance of World Cancer Day

Urgent action needs to be taken to raise awareness about the disease and to develop practical strategies to address the cancer burden. Global disparities in access to prevention, treatment and palliative care are growing exponentially.

World Cancer Day is the ideal opportunity to spread the word and raise the profile of cancer in people’s minds, in the world’s media, and on the global health and development agenda.

What is cancer?

Cancer is a disease which occurs when changes in a group of normal cells within the body lead to uncontrolled, abnormal growth forming a lump called a tumour; this is true of all cancers except leukaemia (cancer of the blood). If left untreated, tumours can grow and spread into the surrounding normal tissue, or to other parts of the body via the bloodstream and lymphatic systems, and can affect the digestive, nervous and circulatory systems or release hormones that may affect body function.

Cancer tumours can be divided into three groups: benign, malignant or pre-cancerous

Benign tumours are not cancerous and rarely threaten life. They tend to grow quite slowly, do not spread to other parts of the body, and are usually made up of cells quite similar to normal or healthy cells. They will only cause a problem if they grow very large, becoming uncomfortable or press on other organs - for example, a brain tumour inside the skull.

Malignant tumours are faster growing than benign tumours and have the ability to spread and destroy neighbouring tissue. Cells of malignant tumours can break off from the main (primary) tumour and spread to other parts of the body through a process known as metastasis. Upon invading healthy tissue at the new site, they continue to divide and grow. These secondary sites are known as metastases and the condition is referred to as metastatic cancer.

Pre-cancerous (or pre-malignant) describes the condition involving abnormal cells which may (or is likely to) develop into cancer.

Preventing cancer

Over a third of all cancers can be prevented by reducing your exposure to risk factors such as tobacco, obesity, physical inactivity, infections, alcohol, environmental pollution, occupational carcinogens, and radiation.

Prevention of certain cancers may also be effective through vaccination against the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), helping to protect against liver cancer and cervical cancer, respectively.

Reducing exposures to other carcinogens such as environmental pollution, occupational carcinogens and radiation could help prevent further cancers.

Early detection of cancer

There are a number of cancers which can be identified early which helps to improve the chances of successful treatment outcomes, often at lower costs and with fewer (or less significant) side effects for patients. There are cost-effective tests that help detect colorectal, breast, cervical and oral cancers early and further tests are being developed for other cancers.

Check with your doctor for guidance on the national recommendations regarding vaccinations, testing and screenings.

Managing and treating cancer 

Your treatment depends on the type of cancer, where your cancer is, how big it is, whether it has spread, and your general health. The general types of treatments include: surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and gene therapy. 

Survivorship 

Survivorship focuses on health and the physical, psychological, social and economic issues affecting people after the end of the primary treatment for cancer, including people who have no disease after finishing treatment, people who continue to receive treatment to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back and people with well controlled disease and few symptoms, who receive treatment to manage cancer as a chronic disease. 

Survivorship care includes issues related to follow-up care, the management of late side-effects of treatment, the improvement of quality of life and psychological and emotional health. Survivorship care includes also future anticancer treatment, where applicable. Family members, friends and caregivers should also be considered as part of the survivorship experience. 

We are here for you

For Professional Confidential Counselling contact us on

Gauteng & Other regions:      0861 776 227                       admin@procare.co.za

Western Cape:                         021- 8 730 532                     procwc@procare.co.za

Read more:

https://www.worldcancerday.org/what-cancer

https://www.gov.za/speeches/world-cancer-day-2021-15-oct-2020-0912