World Cancer Day, February 4, 2024

World Cancer Day is an annual observance aimed at raising awareness, promoting prevention, and advancing treatments for cancer, a disease characterized by the abnormal growth of cells. The earliest cancer, breast cancer, was noted in a 1600 BC Egyptian text, while the oldest in human ancestors is a 1.7 million-year-old skeleton with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer. Cancer accounts for nearly 10 million deaths and 20 million new cases yearly. Lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers are among the most common types, influenced by factors like genetics, lifestyle, and environmental exposures. Prevention strategies are crucial in reducing cancer risk, emphasizing the importance of healthy lifestyles, regular screening, and vaccination against cancer-related infections such as HPV (Cervical cancer). Many eminent scientists have advanced cancer research, e.g. the German Georges Köhler and César Milstein from Argentina, Medicine Nobel Prize 1984, developed the hybridoma technique in 1975 for producing monoclonal antibodies that revolutionized cancer diagnosis and therapy. Today's therapeutic technologies have evolved significantly. Treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, often combined to enhance efficacy. Advances in precision medicine and genomics are paving the way for more personalized treatment approaches. More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer https://www.worldcancerday.org/ Art&Text supported by ChatGPT.