CDC - Office of International Cancer Control ► World Cancer Day

CDC - Office of International Cancer Control

On February 4, CDC joins people, organizations, and government agencies around the world in taking a proactive approach to the fight against cancer, highlighting solutions that are within our reach. World Cancer Day unites the world in the fight against cancer.

Each year globally, about 14 million people learn they have cancer, and 8 million people die from the disease. Research suggests that one-third of cancer deaths can be prevented, but sometimes services and technologies are not widely available, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Global Progress Against Cancer

• Indoor tanning can cause skin cancer. In 2009, Brazil became the first country to ban indoor tanning. Many areas have placed restrictions or outright bans on use of tanning beds.
• Almost all cases of cervical cancer can be prevented with vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) and regular screening tests and follow-up. Community health workers in Argentina delivered self-collection kits to women at their homes and taught them how to get a sample for HPV testing.
• China has greatly increased the number of cancer registries to help track the country's growing number of people with cancer. China has developed more than 250 registries in both rural and urban areas.

What CDC Is Doing

CDC's Office of International Cancer Control is working with agencies like the World Health Organization, the American Cancer Society, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer to:

• Develop and distribute comprehensive guidelines for controlling cervical cancer.
• Support Bolivia and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands to improve access to cervical cancer screening by using a process called visual inspection with acetic acid.
• Study women's knowledge and attitudes about cervical cancer prevention, screening, and treatment practices in Brazil and Kenya.
• Test a tool to assess the cost of operating cancer registries in Colombia, India, and Kenya.
• Train health care workers to introduce HPV testing into cervical cancer screening programs in Thailand.
• Support cervical cancer screening programs through the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon program in Botswana, Tanzania, and Zambia.
• Set up cancer registry support centers to strengthen registries in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.

CDC’s Office of International Cancer Control is a global leader in efforts to ease the burden of cancer. CDC works with international cancer organizations, ministries of health, non-governmental organizations, and other groups to prevent and control cancer around the world.

CDC focuses on improving global partnerships and making the most of resources to help resolve common cancer challenges. The lessons learned with our international partners also benefit domestic cancer programs, especially in places like the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands, where there is a shortage of financial and human resources for hospitals and public health programs. CDC’s global cancer work focuses on the following areas—

• Helping organize population-based cancer screening programs.
• Improving the way partner countries collect and analyze information about cancer.
• Using research to improve cancer policies and plans.
• Teaching public health staff in partner countries.

CDC’s cancer prevention and control activities take place in the following countries—