World Cancer Day 2026 highlights people-centred care and preventable causes of cancer
World Cancer Day 2026 is focusing attention on the human impact of cancer and the urgent need to place people and their lived experiences at the centre of cancer prevention and care.
Behind every cancer diagnosis is a unique human story, one of grief, pain, healing, resilience and love. A people-centred approach to cancer care, grounded in compassion and empathy and responsive to individual needs, leads to better outcomes and fairer health systems.
This year’s campaign comes as new evidence reinforces the scale of preventable cancer. On the eve of World Cancer Day, the World Health Organization released research estimating that 38% of all new cancer cases globally in 2022, around 7.1 million cases, were linked to preventable causes. Many of these drivers, including tobacco use, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets and air pollution, are shared risk factors with other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
Responding to the findings, Katie Dain, CEO of the NCD Alliance, said the links between cancer and NCDs demand stronger prevention policies.
“The evidence is clear: effective noncommunicable disease prevention policies could dramatically reduce the global cancer burden, saving lives while strengthening health systems and advancing equity.”
World Cancer Day is marked globally through a multi-year campaign led by the Union for International Cancer Control, running from 2025 to 2027, which explores different dimensions of people-centred cancer care and encourages a shift from awareness to action.
For the NCD Alliance, World Cancer Day is an opportunity to spotlight the urgent need for prevention, early detection and equitable access to cancer care — particularly for communities facing the greatest barriers — and to amplify the voices and stories of people living with cancer.
