4 February 2002
World Cancer Day was founded by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to raise awareness and to encourage its prevention, detection and treatment. The day was inaugurated in 2002 by a consortium of governmental and non-governmental cancer research organisations. Each year, the UICC strives to ensure that the event is seen and heard by more people that the previous year. According to the International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC), 681 000 new cancer cases and 512 400 cancer deaths were reported in Africa in 2008. These figures are projected to nearly double by the year 2030 due to ageing and population growth. 
References

UICC, World Cancer Day, from Union for International Cancer Control, [online], Available at www.uicc.org [Accessed: 22 January 2014]|Medical Chronicle, (2011), New Registry to Give Major Boost to Fight against Cancer, from MedicalCronicle+, [online], Available at www.medicalchronicle.co.za [Accessed: 22 January 2014]