World Cancer Day

World Cancer Day History

World Cancer Day aims to save lives by raising awareness and educating the population about cancer. The day also serves to pressure governments and individuals to take action in preventing, treating, and controlling cancer. Cancer is a heterogeneous group of diseases that result from abnormal cell growth and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body.

On February 4, 2000, World Cancer Day was officially established by the Paris Charter at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium in Paris. The Paris Charter aimed to promote research for a cure and other preventative measures. It also sought services for patients and support from the global community.

Top 8 Facts for World Cancer Day in 2026

• The official theme for the multi-year campaign is United by Unique, which for the current year specifically emphasizes the sub-focus Your story will change minds to transform personal lived experiences into advocacy tools for people-centered care.
• A historic milestone has been reached as the five-year relative survival rate for all cancer types combined has hit a record high of 70 percent, a significant increase from 49 percent in the mid-1970s.
• Major clinical trials are now underway for personalized cancer vaccines that utilize the same mRNA technology found in recent global vaccinations to prime the immune system to target specific mutations within a patient's own tumor.
• There is growing concern and investigation into the sharp rise of early-onset cancers, particularly the 1.4 percent annual increase in diagnoses for women under age 50 and the steady rise of colorectal cancer in younger adults.
• Lung cancer is projected to cause more deaths than the combined total of the second and third most common fatal cancers, which are colorectal and pancreatic malignancies.
• A new creative initiative titled 12 people. 12 cameras. 12 months has been launched in partnership with Fujifilm to document the daily emotional and social realities of a diverse group of individuals living with the disease.
• The campaign features a symbolic social media initiative called the Upside Down Challenge, where participants post inverted photos or videos to represent the disruptive impact a diagnosis has on an individual's life.
• Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence are accelerating the adoption of multi-cancer early detection tests, commonly known as liquid biopsies, which can identify fragments of tumor DNA in a single blood sample for several high-incidence cancers.

In the News and Trending in the US for World Cancer Day

Top things to do in the US for World Cancer Day

• Understand the risks of smoking and urge those that you know to quit smoking. Smoking accounts for 25% of all cancer deaths globally each year.
• Join the fundraising activities to support cancer victims, their families, and the continued research efforts to find a cure. Many communities offer Walks for the Cure and other types of fundraising events that can support cancer survivors or those who receive treatment.
• Learn to recognize some of the general signs and symptoms of cancer. Although they differ by the type of cancer, some of the American Cancer Society's general signs and symptoms are:
  1) the presence of an obvious mass (a bump)
  2) unexplained weight loss
  3) loss of appetite
  4) frequent fevers
• Watch a documentary about cancer and cancer related topics. Some interesting ones are: Cancer: The Forbidden Cures (2010), Understanding Cancer: The Enemy Within (2012), and The Quest for the Cures Continues (2015).
• Donate to cancer research organizations. The American Cancer Society accepts donations that help with patient treatment and exhaustive research in the hopes of curing cancer.