The American Association for Cancer Research supports World Cancer Day on Saturday, Feb. 4, and the efforts of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to bring the looming world cancer crisis to the forefront by urging the public, government leaders and health policy makers to take proactive steps in the global fight against cancer.

The 2012 World Cancer Day initiative, in following the footsteps of this year’s theme “Together it is Possible,” is raising public awareness through education and encouragement of healthy lifestyle choices in an effort to reduce cancer risk.

“World Cancer Day is a reminder that we must take action and work together to decrease the global burden of cancer,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “The AACR has had a long-standing focus on cancer prevention research. We believe that known prevention strategies offer long-term potential for lowering cancer incidences and mortality and we urge everyone to take action.”

Worldwide, cancer cases are projected to almost double to 21.4 million by 2030, with nearly two-thirds of all diagnoses occurring in low- and middle-income countries. In the United States alone, approximately 1.64 million people will be diagnosed with cancer and more than 577,000 will die of the disease in 2012. However, one in three cancer deaths are preventable through lifestyle changes such as these:

• Eat a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables, limit your fat intake and if you consume alcohol, do so in moderation.
• Exercise regularly, at least 30 minutes a day, and maintain a healthy weight.
• Avoid tobacco use – this includes cigarettes, pipes, water pipes and chewing tobacco.
• Protect yourself from the sun by avoiding midday sun, wearing sunscreen, and avoiding tanning beds and sunlamps.
• Get vaccinated and protect yourself from certain viral infections like the Hepatitis B virus and the human papillomavirus (HPV).
• Be aware of your family history, learn the signs of cancer, perform self-exams and get proper routine cancer screenings by your doctor.

How else can you help? Take action, join the fight against cancer and sign the World Cancer Day declaration. The declaration is an initiative to bring the global cancer burden to the attention of governments and health policy makers.

In an effort to rally the online community, a dedicated 2012 World Cancer Day application on Facebook has been launched to allow users to make their personal pledge by donating their Facebook status. A companion campaign on Twitter will support #WorldCancerDay as a trending topic. Express your commitment to cancer prevention publicly.

It is only by every person, organization and government entity doing their part that we will be able to reduce the global cancer burden.

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The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, the AACR is the world’s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes 33,000 basic, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 90 other countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants, research fellowships and career development awards. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 18,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment and patient care. The AACR publishes seven major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Discovery; Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Prevention Research. AACR journals received 20 percent of the total number of citations given to oncology journals in 2010. The AACR also publishes Cancer Today, a magazine for cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers which provides practical knowledge and new hope for cancer survivors. A major goal of the AACR is to educate the general public and policymakers about the value of cancer research in improving public health, the vital importance of increases in sustained funding for cancer research and biomedical science, and the need for national policies that foster innovation and the acceleration of progress against the 200 diseases we call cancer.