World Cancer Day is a chance to raise collective voices in the name of improving general knowledge around cancer and dismissing misconceptions about the disease.
From a global level, the theme this year is "Debunking the myths". The focus is on the four myths which are: "We don't need to talk about cancer; there are no symptoms for cancer; there is nothing I can do about cancer and I don't have the right to cancer care."
In addition to being in-line with global advocacy goals, the overarching myths leave a lot of flexibility for members, partners and cancer supporters to adapt and expand on for their own needs.
Cancer is a condition that affects both developed and developing nations of the world. Presently, about 30 million people are living with the disease worldwide. In Africa where there is insufficient data, more than 700,000 new cases are diagnosed annually.
In Nigeria, there is a high rate of cancer-associated mortality with patients having more than 2 times mortality risk compared to individuals in developed nations.
Even though the level of awareness is improving in Africa, many Nigerians still don't go for regular cancer screening procedures.
Commenting on this year's edition, Paul Adepoju, Managing Editor of HealthNewsNG.com said promoting awareness on diseases such as cancer is part of the reasons why the platform was launched.
He said: "Every time I visit cancer registries and wards in different parts of Nigeria, the expression on the faces of the patients tell me they would have loved to know about the disease on time. Not everyone knows how to spot cancer but everyone needs to know that it is real and manageable. Cancer should not be seen as a death sentence since malaria kills faster than most forms of cancer.
"HealthNewsNG.com will continue to blaze the trail in providing cancer information to our readers within and outside Africa, and we will also bring latest information on treatment and management options to people living with cancer."
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