4 February is World Cancer Day

2 February 2022

Every year on 4 February, Velindre Cancer Centre celebrates World Cancer Day.

The day brings together people, communities and countries from across the world to raise awareness and take action.

Between 2022 and 2024, the theme is Close the Care Gap, and having focussed last year on realising the problem, the attention this year turns to uniting our voices and taking action.

Cancer disproportionately affects people depending on various factors, such as who they are and where they live.

10 million people a year die from cancer, of which approximately 70% are 65 or older, yet older populations face disproportionate barriers to effective treatment.

Childhood cancer survival rates are over 80% in high-income countries but as low as 20% in low-income countries.

Moreover, the five-year survival rate for cervical cancer is 71%. For black women, the rate falls to 58%.

Throughout the week on our social media, we've been featuring individual members of staff who discuss what this day means to them.