Sign now for a cancer free world

The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) is the leading international non-governmental organisation dedicated to the global prevention and control of cancer. It is set in Geneva, Switzerland, and was founded in 1933. UICC is the “custodian” of the World Cancer Declaration which is a call to action to substantially reduce the global cancer burden by 2020.The declaration was unanimously adopted at the World Leader’s Summit of policymakers, leaders & health experts during the 2008 World Cancer Congress in Geneva. The Declaration calls on the world to take immediate steps to reduce the global cancer burden and outlines 11 targets to be achieved by 2020. These include: 1) development of sustainable delivery systems to ensure that effective cancer control programmes are available in all countries; 2) improved measurement of the global cancer burden and the impact of cancer control interventions; 3) reduction of global tobacco consumption, obesity and alcohol intake levels; 4) effective widespread vaccination of populations in the areas affected by human papilloma virus (HPV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV); 5) improved public attitudes towards cancer by dispelling damaging myths and misconceptions about the disease; 6) improved diagnosis of many cancers when still localized through the provision of screening and early detection programmes; 7) increased access to accurate cancer diagnosis, 8) appropriate cancer treatments, supportive care, rehabilitation and palliative services for all patients worldwide; 9) increased access to effective pain control measures for all cancer patients in pain; 10) increased number of training opportunities available for health professionals in different aspects of cancer control; 11) achievement of major improvements in cancer survival rates in all countries. The declaration can be downloaded from the UICC website in different languages. Currently about 128000 people and 1035 organizations from all over the world have signed it. The reasons why everybody should do so are that cancer kills more people than AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis combined, and the death toll is set to rise dramatically in the coming decades; two-thirds of cancer-related deaths occur in countries where resources available for cancer control are limited or nonexistent; without significant improvement, over 17 million people are projected to succumb from this disease by 2030; many cancers can be prevented, and several cancers can be cured if detected early and treated appropriately. This blog has been provided by a link to allow people to sign the Declaration (see the column on the right) . Let’s support such a call to action!