World Cancer Day Highlights Awareness and Global Collaboration

World Cancer Day serves as a global reminder of the impact of cancer throughout communities. Observed annually, World Cancer Day aims to raise awareness and foster collaboration, as well as highlight the ongoing need for research and resources in the fight against cancer. It is a day to recognize the progress made and reaffirm the collective commitment to improving outcomes worldwide.

In honor of World Cancer Day, CURE sat down with experts and advocates to discuss the importance of this initiative and others like it. Dr. Meredith Pelster, associate director of gastrointestinal cancer research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute and a medical oncologist at SCRI Oncology Partners, shared her perspective on how awareness drives funding for research and the development of new therapies. Fred Batchelor, a liver cancer survivor and patient advocate, offered insight into the personal impact of cancer and the importance of public attention to the disease.

Moreover, Dr. Rodney Haring, co-director of the Health Communications Shared Resource at Seneca Nation and chair of the Department of Indigenous Cancer Health at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, emphasized the significance of global collaboration and Indigenous perspectives in advancing cancer care.

Together, their voices highlight the multifaceted importance of World Cancer Day.

CURE: Why do you think initiatives like World Cancer Day are important, and how do they impact patients, research and the global fight against cancer?

Haring: The understanding of cancer as a global issue is important; the things that we can learn from and share with other people around the world are vital. Improving cancer outcomes is not just about what we know here. It is about working together globally to learn from each other to battle this concern. In fact, this April, I am on the committee for the World Indigenous Cancer Conference.

Some of the brightest indigenous individuals from all around the world who are working in our respective landscapes are coming together to share what we have accomplished, to discuss where we need to go, and to learn from each other. It is that kind of collaboration that really moves science forward and has the ability to save lives. We have to think that way and learn together from our relations and relatives. If you think about it, especially for the Haudenosaunee, we have always traveled and learned that way. Before there were the United States and Canada, our people lived on both sides of the river and have always lived that way.

Our relations, even just in the North American context, span both sides of the river. Now there are the United States and Canada, but there are and have always been the Haudenosaunee of North America. We have those early relationships. Our people have the first treaties with the United States; out of any of the 574 federally recognized Native nations, the Haudenosaunee were the first to have treaties with George Washington that talk about healthcare, education and what we need to do to continue working together towards wellness. Those are important.

World Cancer Day and conversations about global health are of the utmost importance to move the health of all people forward.

Batchelor: Well, it brings eyes to an issue that is so close to everyone's heart. You know, someone in my family or someone close to me whom I love has cancer. It is happening worldwide; it is everywhere. It is important for people to recognize that we need to focus on it and pay attention to it.

Having these World Cancer Days and bringing the issue to the forefront makes people aware and encourages them to face it and fight it together. I never thought in a million years I would be affected by cancer, but when it comes, it stays with you for a while. So, putting it out there and having events calls attention to what needs to be recognized.

This is an issue that, until it's eradicated, requires us all to gather together to celebrate those who are recovering or in remission and support the ones who need help to get through this journey.

Pelster: Oh gosh, it's very important to recognize World Cancer Day so that we can continue to get support for cancer research. We urgently need new cancer therapies for many cancer types. We've been talking about pancreas cancer today, which certainly is first and foremost in my mind as one of the cancers for which we desperately need new treatments. In order to find new treatments, we need research to discover and evaluate these drugs.

World Cancer Day is a great way to continue to raise awareness so that we can have funding to get new treatments for patients.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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