Today, February 4, is the World Cancer Day. The day will be marked under a three-year theme, I am and I Will’, a campaign that culminates this year with a particular focus on the importance of collective action.

The multi-year campaign seeks to highlight the power of concerted efforts and cooperation of all stakeholders, starting from individual and community actions, governments, private sector and regional and international partners.

The global burden of cancer cannot be overemphasised.

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, as many as 9.5 million cancer-related deaths were recorded in 2018 alone, while over 18 million new cases were registered in the same year.

In fact, research has pointed to a more worrying trend, with the number of new cancer cases and deaths per year expected to rise to over 30 million and over 16 million, respectively, by 2040.

Now, previously, there was a misplaced belief that cancer was a disease of the rich, associated mostly with developed countries. However, research has since indicated that certain cancers actually have higher incidence in developing countries than in other parts of the world.

These misconceptions have unfortunately resulted in millions of avoidable cancer-related deaths annually as most patients wallow in their ignorance, with dire consequences. Many did not seek early diagnosis, neither did they change their lifestyle (such as smoking and binge drinking).

And, while there has been notable progress in public awareness and education around the disease in recent years, so many people out there are yet to take steps to minimise cancer risk, which can be done through regular screenings, behaviour change as well as embracing a healthy diet and physical exercise.

As with most other Non-Communicable Diseases, people tend to learn that they are cancer sufferers when the disease has severely advanced. This greatly affects their chances of beating it.

Figures indicate that at least one third of cancers globally are preventable, according to the World Health Organization. This demonstrates that not enough has been done to raise public awareness about the disease and ensure that individuals take preventive strategies seriously.

As Rwanda and the rest of the world pause today to mark the World Cancer Day, it is an opportunity for us all to recommit to doing everything we can to minimise cancer risk, individually and collectively.