World Cancer Research Day

About WCRD

The World Cancer Research Day (WCRD) was founded in 2016 by ten cancer organizations. Today, around 89 organisations and half million people have joined to raise awareness about cancer research, address challenges and improve survival rates.

It is estimated that by 2030, cancer could be the leading cause of death around the world with around 13 million deaths. This is around a 60% increase from 2014! Researchers aim to save 3 million lives by 2030.

There is ongoing progress in different cancers from a scientific and clinical perspective. However, the advances are not the same in all types of cancer.

There are several challenges:
1) Developing cost-effective primary and secondary prevention measures.

2) Early detection methods that have high accuracy.

3) New treatment to save lives at a lower cost in terms of price and side effects.

4) Increase international networking.

5) Sustainable funding models.

6) Increase in research training opportunities

7) Define the way that allows research findings to be accessed quickly in national healthcare systems.

Also, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic interrupted the effectiveness of cancer care, the priority of COVID-19 vaccine than cancer research and the ability to do clinical trials because of infection control measures.

The World Declaration for Research has several objectives to overcome these challenges:
Increase awareness and commitment to cancer research
To facilitate access to scientific advances worldwide
To improve survival and quality of life of cancer patients.
To reduce the global impact of this disease.

The first aim has been achieved between 2016 and 2020 to raise awareness and commitment for cancer research.

Overall, working together for a united cause aids in diagnosing cancer early, increasing survival rates for cancer, aiding access to treatment, better quality of life, and decreasing the global burden of cancer.

References
World Cancer Research Day: www.worldcancerresearchday.com

Puyol, M., Seoane, J., Aguilar, E., Vozza, L.B., Orbe, I., Crawford, K.H., Fernández, A., Bray, F., Johnson, S.E. and Gopal, S. (2020). WORLD CANCER RESEARCH DAY: A Call to Action for a Coordinated International Research Effort to Prevent, Diagnose, and Treat Cancer. Clinical Cancer Research, 27(4), pp.963–966. doi:https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-20-2978.