In 2024, the global cancer community commemorates World Cancer Day, on February 4, with the slogan "Close the care gap", and the call to unite our voices and take action.
PAHO joins this campaign to call everyone, collectively and individually, to commit to strengthening actions aimed at improving access to quality care, including screening, early detection, treatment, and palliative care.
Cancer is the second most frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in the Americas, after cardiovascular disease, and an important basis of health inequalities.
In the Americas, there are an estimated 4.2 million people were newly diagnosed and 1.4 million people died from the disease in 2022.
Approximately, 54% of new cancer cases and 45.1% of cancer deaths occurred in people 69 years of age and younger, in the prime of their lives.
Globally, there were an estimated 19.9 million new cases of cancer and almost 10 million deaths from cancer. The cancer burden will increase by approximately 60% over the next two decades, further straining health systems, people, and communities.
The predicted global burden will increase to about 30 million new cancer cases by 2045, with the greatest increases occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
In the Americas region the, number of people expected to be diagnosed with cancer will increase by 59,3%, to approximately 6.7 million people are predicted to be diagnosed with cancer by 2045, if no further action is taken to prevent and control cancer.
Cancer can be prevented and controlled by implementing evidence-based strategies for cancer prevention, screening, early detection, treatment, and palliative care. The most common modifiable risk factors for cancer, which are shared with many other noncommunicable diseases, are:
Some specific risk factors for cancer include chronic infections from human papillomavirus (HPV) -for cervical cancer-, hepatitis B and C - for liver cancer-, and H.pylori -for stomach cancer.
Specialists on the subject and civil society representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean, convened by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), have reviewed the scientific evidence and recommend the following 17 actions people can take to help prevent cancer.
Dr Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO Director on World Cancer Day.
Create a future without cancer.
The time to act is now.
Join us on Thursday, February 8, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. (Washington DC time) on the webinar "Goals and Challenges in the Fight Against Cancer".
The event emphasizes specific goals and challenges faced in the fight against cancer, covering the main initiatives: the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer; the Global Strategy for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer; and the Global Breast Cancer Initiative.
Additionally, the "Latin American and Caribbean Code Against Cancer," developed with the participation of over 60 regional experts, wil be highlighted. This Code includes specific recommendations for cancer prevention adapted to the regional contexts.
PAHO works with the countries to implement in the Region of the Americas the three global initiatives launched by the World Health Organization to tackle the cancer burden at a global level: the Global Breast Cancer Initiative, the Global Strategy for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer, and the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer.
Global Strategy for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer
To tackle this important determinant of gender and socioeconomic inequalities, on November 17th 2020, the World Health Organization launched the Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer as a public health problem.
The targets consist of:
Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer - Cure All Americas
The Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer was launched in September 2018 aiming to increase 5-year survival from childhood cancer to at least 60% by 2030. The Initiative has two primary objectives:
A key priority for PAHO/WHO is to provide the necessary technical support to Member States to strengthen cancer services and to monitor progress.
Global Breast Cancer Initiative
In March 2021, the World Health Organization introduced the Global Breast Cancer Initiative, aiming to reduce the burden of breast cancer, the most frequent cancer in women globally and in the Americas region.
The initiative aims to reduce global breast cancer mortality by 2.5% per year, thus averting an estimated 2.5 million deaths by 2040.
Activities for the initiative will focus on three pillars:
