Cancer is one of the most debilitating diseases yet to be found a cure for. It is estimated that cancer is one of the fastest growing diseases with cancer rates estimated to climb 600% faster among females than among males. This is projected for the next 20 years with cancer becoming a global problem by the year 2040 unless a cure if found for it soon. These figures were released by the Cancer Research Department of the United Kingdom on World Cancer Day which is observed on the 4th of February each year.

Cancer research is at the forefront of medical research with scientists working all year to find new methods to reduce the patients suffering as much as possible. However, there are also patients who are in the last stages of cancer with no hopes of recovery. Apart from affecting the patients themselves, the patient's families are also hugely affected which is what the world needs to work on to reduce. In the United Kingdom, cancer rates are estimated to increase from their current percentage by half a percent for men and more than 3 percent for women. The high increase in cancer rates for women is due to many obesity related cancer types and because of widespread smoking among women in the UK.

Apart from other causes for cancer, smoking turns out to be the biggest cause for cancer not only in the UK but all around the world. All this will mean a total of 9 million cancer diagnosis for both men and women in the UK just in the next 20 years.

The effect cancer has on the normal populace is evident from the fact that cancer is the cause of more than 15% of all deaths in the world today. Cancer affects more than 7 million men and 6.7 million women every year. In 2012, the total death because of cancer was 8.2 million worldwide with men and women being almost equally affected. Since women have more cancer types they are affected with including ovarian, cervical and oral cancers the number of women diagnosed with cancer is well on the rise.

The United Kingdom is one of the rare places in the world where cancer awareness is on the rise and various organizations taking an initiative to create several awareness programs for the public. On World Cancer Day, Cancer Research UK installed a giant coloring wall on which people were encouraged to color on to show their support to cancer patients everywhere. Participants were also given a Unity Band to wear around their wrists to show people everywhere that they support cancer research.

It is very important to create awareness among women as they can develop more vcancer varieties than men. Women are prone to ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer along with other cancer types that affect men as well. It is also necessary to educate people to go to the doctor and seek treatment as soon as they start experiencing symptoms. Some people may delay the visit to the doctor due to several reasons but healthcare should always be their first priority and it is important to educate the people about that. The reason cancer is to be detected in the early stages is so that the tumor can be removed with the help of simple radiation treatment or minimally invasive surgery. However, if cancer gets to the later stages it is very difficult for both the doctor and the patient to continue the treatment. Some people who are well educated know that treatment is absolutely necessary and try to stay positive during the treatment but it is of paramount importance to hire therapists to talk with the patients and tell them about the importance of treatment.

The Cancer Research UK is one among much leading cancer research organization in the world and it is striving to find out newer treatment methods and cures for this horrible disease. There are four major cancer varieties in the world namely, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Lung cancer and cancer of the bowels. These four types of cancer account for more than half of all cancer diagnosis in the world. Sir Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, said: “These new figures reveal the huge challenge we continue to face, both in the UK and worldwide. Research is at the heart of finding ways to reduce cancer’s burden and ensure more people survive, particularly for hard-to-treat cancers where the outlook for patients is still bleak. We need to keep working hard to reduce the devastating impact cancer can have on so many families.

Sir Harpal also goes on to compare figures of the most common diseases that claim a lot of lives around the world and it is shocking to know that more people die from cancer than from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria put together. The need for research becomes more and more compelling as cancer rates need to be brought down as soon as possible to prevent further deaths. Since scientists are still not sure how to eradicate cancer entirely, it is necessary to devote time to find out newer treatment methods to ensure lesser deaths at least in the future. It is also crucial for early diagnosis to be the norm to reduce the effects of the disease.

The Unity Band movement is not only about creating awareness about cancer but it is also about showing support for cancer patients everywhere. Taking the Cancer Research UK as an example, research centers all over the world should take their own initiative to start an awareness program and try to achieve maximum coverage with the people in their country. The world is now at a stage where we are finding solutions to several problems we could never dream of solving. Scientists are also making huge strides in stem cell therapy and gene editing. The world should come together and put aside all their differences to work on a cure for this terrible disease as it will help improve the quality of living for citizens all over the world.

Reference
Smittenaar CR, Petersen KA, Stewart K, Moitt N. Cancer incidence and mortality projections in the UK until 2035. Br J Cancer. 2016 Oct 25;115(9):1147-1155.