National Cancer Awareness Day 7 November 2024 – Importance & History

National Cancer Awareness Day is observed on the 7th of November in India every year since 2014 to create public awareness about early detection, prevention, and treatment of cancer.

On this day, various healthcare organisations , government agencies, and non-profit groups collaborate to organise awareness campaigns, seminars, and screenings to mark National Cancer Awareness Day and work towards reducing the burden of cancer nationwide.

Importance of National Cancer Awareness Day

Cancer is a broad term for many conditions affecting any region in the body. One distinguishing aspect of cancer is the rapid formation of aberrant cells that grow beyond their normal borders, infecting surrounding body parts and migrating to other organs, a process known as metastasis.

Cancer is a primary cause of death globally, accounting for more than one crore deaths in 2020. The most frequent causes of new cases were:

• Breast cancer (22.6 lakh cases)
• Lung cancer (22.1 lakh cases)
• Colon and rectum cancer (19.3 lakh cases)
• Prostate cancer (14.1 lakh cases)
• Skin cancer (non-melanoma) (12 lakh cases)
• Stomach cancer (10.9 lakh cases)

The most frequent causes of cancer death in 2020 were:

• Lung cancer (18 lakh deaths)
• Colon and rectum cancer (916,000 deaths)
• Liver cancer (830,000 deaths)
• Stomach cancer (769,000 deaths)
• Breast cancer (685,000 deaths)

In India, it is estimated that there are 20 to 25 lakh cancer patients at any given point in time, with about 7 lakh new cases reported every year. When a new cancer case is diagnosed, two-thirds of them already have an incurable stage. More than 60% of these cancer patients are between the ages of 35 and 65 years. There will be nearly three times as many cases of cancer as there are now due to rising life expectancies and changing lifestyles that come with progress.

As per GLOBCAN (Global Cancer) 2020 report, India accounts for 13.24 lakh new cases, where lip/oral cavity (16.2%), lung (8%) and stomach cancers (6.3%) are the major ones in males, whereas breast (26.3%), cervix uteri (18.3%) and ovary cancers (6.7%) are the major ones among females. The cancer-related death count is reported as 8,51,678. 

In India's metropolitan areas, the age-adjusted incidence rate per 100,000 for all types ranges from 106 to 130 for males and 100 to 140 for women. Tobacco use is linked to 25% of cancers in women and 50% of cancers in men (total cancers linked to tobacco use: 34%). Between 1995 and 2025, there is a projected seven-fold increase in the morbidity of tobacco-related cancer.

Being a major public health concern, National Cancer Awareness Day is observed to create awareness of the disease's risk factors, common cancer types that affect the quality of life and the significance of seeking medical support as soon as symptoms appear.

History of National Cancer Awareness Day

In September 2014, National Cancer Awareness Day was first initiated by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare in India. In September 2014, a committee was formed and decided that National Cancer Awareness Day would be observed on the 7th of November every year in India with the aim of spreading awareness about the severity of various cancers, their symptoms, and treatment. 

Preventive Measures for Cancer

Preventive measures for cancer aim to reduce the risk of developing cancer and may vary depending on the type of cancer. Cancer risk can be reduced by:

• Avoiding tobacco
• Maintaining a healthy body weight
• Having a healthy diet, including fruit and vegetables
• Doing physical activity on a regular basis
• Avoiding or reducing consumption of alcohol
• Avoiding ultraviolet radiation exposure 
• Scheduling cancer screening exams

Know more about health awareness days

Department of Oncology