What is World Cancer Day?

World Cancer Day takes place on 4 February every year. The day aims to raise awareness, improve education and galvanise action to reduce the devastating impact that cancer has on the world. It’s an important day for everyone to come together to raise awareness of the issues surrounding cancer and how it affects everyone’s lives. World Cancer Day is led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), and Children with Cancer UK is proud to support this awareness day.

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This World Cancer Day, we need more investment in vital childhood cancer research

Every day in the UK, 10 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer. On average, 2 of these will not survive. A single child dying of cancer is one too many. We are dedicated to funding research into the causes and treatment of childhood cancers not only to improve survival rates, but to also find kinder, more effective treatments with fewer toxic side effects.

In the 35 years since we were inaugurated, there has been huge progress in treatment of some cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), the most common type of childhood cancer. Today, thanks to sustained investment in research and improvements in treatments, in which Children with Cancer UK has had particular impact, survival rates for young patients with ALL is over 90% compared to 64% in 1990.*

While this is incredible news for children and young people diagnosed with ALL, the outlook sadly isn’t as positive across the wide spectrum of childhood cancers. For bone cancers such as osteosarcoma, survival rates sit at 65%** and brain and spinal tumours – the most common type after ALL – claim more lives than any other childhood cancer.

For World Cancer Day 2024 we want to highlight that while we have seen impressive breakthroughs in cancer treatment, there is still a huge need for more research for all cancers affecting children and young adults. Will you help us achieve this goal? Get involved and spread awareness of childhood cancer, and the urgent need for more research.

*Office of National Statistics (ONS) Childhood cancer survival in England: children diagnosed from 1990 to 2014 and followed up to 2015 and Cancer survival in England: adult, stage at diagnosis and childhood – patients followed up to 2018

** Statistics were provided by Cancer Research UK (September 2021)

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Get involved in World Cancer Day 2024

For World Cancer Day 2024, get involved to spread awareness of childhood cancer, and the urgent need for more research.

How you're helping - Archer's story

Archer was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma on 30 December 2021 when he was just two years old. His mum Jade tells their story;

One night, Archer was suffering with pain in his abdomen, so we visited A&E. He had ultrasounds and an MRI, and we were told he either had neuroblastama or a Wilms’ tumour. He started chemotherapy on January 21, 2022, and soon afterwards we received his diagnosis: high risk metastatic stage 4 neuroblastoma, which had spread to his bone marrow. This news quickly dawned on us as a family.

Read Archer's story
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