February 4 is World Cancer Day, a day designed to raise awareness and inform about the disease to improve prevention mechanisms, and preventive education in the field. Now, 1 in 4 deaths in Europe is caused by cancer. At this moment, Romania is in third place in Europe in terms of mortality from oncological causes, preventable through investigations, treatments, and controls.

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely affected cancer patients due to delayed detection or change in medication.

According to the World Health Organization, at least a third of cancers can be prevented by healthy living choices. A healthy diet, maintaining an optimal weight and physical exercise are elements that can sometimes prevent the onset of this disease. Other measures may reduce the risk factors: smoking cessation (smoking has been associated with 15 types of cancer - oral, lung, stomach, liver, colon, and ovarian, as well as certain types of leukemia), alcohol avoidance, avoidance of exposure to ultraviolet radiation, avoidance of exposure to radiation and harmful substances at work, avoidance of chronic infections by vaccination (viruses cause about 16% of cancers globally). The most common forms are lung, prostate, colorectal, breast cancer, cervical, and stomach - some of which are associated with infections of hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HVC), human papillomavirus (HPV), or Helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori).
 
The theme of the day in 2022 is "Care without discrimination" The aim is to raise awareness of the discrimination that exists around the world, both in high-income and low-income countries, and which is costly.