World Cancer Day campaign: United for unique

Since 2000, World Cancer Day (WCD), organised by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), has been celebrated every year on 4th February to raise awareness and encourage global action in the fight against cancer. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Charter of Paris Against Cancer at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millenium and the launch of a new 3-year campaign, ‘United by unique’. This campaign is a reminder of the collective commitment against cancer and calls for a systemic shift towards an equitable, compassionate and people-centred approach that acknowledges that every patient’s experience is unique.^1,2 This week’s blog reflects on the current global burden of cancer and explores how a people-centred approach can reduce the wider impact of cancer on patients’ and their loves ones’ lives, wherever they live in the world.
 

The global burden of cancer

Despite advancements in the understanding of disease markers and screening programmes, the importance of early diagnoses and more effective treatments, the burden of cancer continues to increase globally. Indeed, the risk of cancer increases with age, consequently the growing burden reflects growth in the ageing population, but also exposure to risk factors such as obesity, tobacco, alcohol, infectious diseases and environmental risks.

In February 2024, ahead of WCD 2024, the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s cancer agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), published the latest (2022) estimates of the global burden of cancer. The WHO also published survey results from 115 countries, which showed only 39 per cent of participating countries covered the basics of cancer care management and only 28 per cent covered care for people who required palliative care services, as part of universal health coverage (UHC).³

The IARC estimates of prevalence, mortality and demographics across 185 countries and 36 cancer types show that in 2022:

• There were 20 new million new cancer cases (45.4 per cent in Asia, 24.9 per cent in Europe, 15.7 per cent in Northern America, 7.6 per cent in Latin and Central America, 4.8 per cent in Africa and 1.6 per cent in Oceania)⁴
• 7 million people died from cancer, almost half were in Asia, followed by Europe (22.4 per cent), Northern America (13.4 per cent), Latin and Central America (7.8 per cent), Africa (5.9 per cent) and Oceania (1.3 per cent)⁵
• About one in five people develop cancer in their lifetime, approximately 1 in 9 men and 1 in 12 women die from the disease.
• Lung cancer continues to be the most prevalent type of cancer (2.5 million cases) and the one that causes most cancer deaths (1.8 million deaths), which the researchers consider is likely related to the re-emergence of tobacco use in Asia
• The most diagnosed cancer and leading cause of cancer death in women was breast cancer, whereas for men, it was lung cancer.⁶

The IARC also identified inequitable access and availability of essential health services within and between countries was undermining countries’ ability to reduce their cancer burden with a disproportionate impact on underserved populations. The previous WCD campaign, that ran between 2022 and 2024, ‘Close the care gap’, aimed to raise awareness of and reduce inequities. However, the scale of the challenge is enormous. In their 2024 campaign report, the UICC published a set of recommendations to be used as a future blueprint and which could be adapted to the specific needs and capacities of individual countries. They included:

• fostering patient-centred care that acknowledges and addresses the unique needs and experiences across patient populations
• increasing funding for cancer research
• establishing population-based cancer registries
• designing and implementing effective national control cancer strategies
• incorporating comprehensive cancer services into national health benefit packages
• enhancing health literacy and improving health education
• addressing commercial and social determinants of health
• implement affordable programmes for the routine screening of common cancers into primary care.⁷
   

The wider impact of cancer

The new 2025-2028 campaign, ‘United by Unique’ is a call for a more people-centred approach to cancer, recognising cancer has a substantial impact across the different dimensions of patients’ lives. physical emotional, social, financial and spiritual challenges, which have the potential to exacerbate cancer inequities (see Figure 1). These impacts are felt not only through the cancer diagnosis and treatment journey, but also during the management of post-cancer conditions or complications linked to their cancer, which is becoming increasingly important as survival rates increase.

There is a wide body of research evidence that demonstrates this. For example, at least 30–35 per cent of patients with cancer are affected by mental health problems during all phases of their disease journey, with severity linked to severity of the type of cancer and prognosis.viii Moreover, more than 50 per cent of patients can experience catastrophic health expenditure, risk factors, such as large family size, low income, lack of health insurance, older age and extended disease duration.⁹

Figure 1. Impact of cancer on patients’ physical, emotional, social, financial and spiritual dimensions

The new WCD campaign rightly recognises that the impact of a cancer diagnosis is not limited to the patient, but also has a profound effect on carers, family and friends. Loved ones can also grapple with a mixture of emotions – fear, sadness, and helplessness, while managing the need to provide complete support to the patient. A cancer diagnosis often requires families to adjust to new routines (including providing practical assistance, such as transportation, childcare, or financial aid), and shoulder caregiving and advocacy responsibilities, as well as navigating difficult conversations, often with little support.

Clearly, the impact of a cancer diagnosis varies widely depending on factors such as the type and stage of cancer, the patient's age and overall health, the availability of and access to support systems, and cultural beliefs and practices. Navigating the care journey, therefore, requires an approach that acknowledges the diverse needs of patients and their support systems. Therefore, during the first year, the campaign aims to showcase real stories with unique, individual perspectives of those whose lives are or have been affected by cancer, including patients with cancer, family members, caregivers, medical professionals, advocates, or allies. These perspectives will then be used to develop advocacy tools to create systemic changes that prioritise the holistic needs of people living with cancer. The final year of the campaign will focus on collaboration to embed people-centred care into health systems and ensure long-lasting change.¹⁰
 

Conclusion

The new WCD campaign, ‘United by unique’, is a welcome acknowledgement of the unique challenges facing people with a cancer diagnosis and can improve outcomes for the many people living with and surviving cancer. However, the implementation requires a more equitable approach to investment in services and support. This includes population health management strategies to identify and target hard to reach and disadvantaged populations, and data-driven approaches that inform effective resource allocation and targeted programme development, ultimately reducing disparities and improving the lives of those affected by cancer. Highlighting real-life experiences and outcomes and turning this into a collective call to action for more compassionate and inclusive cancer care can be a powerful way of influencing policy makers, healthcare providers and the broader public. But an equally important step is fostering new partnerships and strengthening existing ones to embed people-centred care into UHC.