World Cancer Day, is dedicated to raising awareness of cancer and encouraging its prevention, detection and treatment.

With the theme “it’s not beyond us” World Cancer Day 2015 highlights how far South Africa has come in treating and preventing cancer, and what the pertinent issues are that we should be focusing on right now.

Test yourself | For South Africa this would mean:

•  A National Cancer Control Plan that makes provision for vaccination for HPV and HBV against cervical and liver cancers, early detection

and screening for breast, cervical, oral and colorectal cancers;

•  effective cancer surveillance;

•  equitable access to essential medicines and technologies;

•  and  effective implementation of palliative care policies.