February 4 is World Cancer Day, providing a platform to raise awareness of the disease and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. World Cancer Day is an initiative where the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), its members, partners and the world unite in fight against the disease.

Cancer is among the leading causes of death around the world. Around 7.6 million people die from cancer each year, of whom 4 million people die prematurely, aged between 30 and 69.

The World Cancer Research Fund in London has released its latest survey on the disease.

Dr. Rachel Thompson, deputy head of World Cancer Research Fund, said, "The country with the highest rate of cancer is Denmark, and the country with the lowest is the Gaza Strip and West Bank. The United Kingdom comes in at about number 22, that's pretty near the top. And China is near the middle at 62."

According to Thompson, people in developed countries have a higher risk of developing cancer.

In the United Kingdom, high levels of obesity and alcohol consumption along with lower levels of physical activity are blamed.

Up to 19,000 lives are lost per year due to cancer caused by obesity in the UK. And it is likely that the cancer death rate in the country will double in the next forty years.

UICC and the Agency for Research on Cancer have set a new target to reduce the number of deaths from caner by 1.5 million a year.

(CNTV.cn February 4, 2013)