On the Occasion of World Cancer Day The King Hussein Cancer Foundation and Center Launch an Awareness Campaign entitled “Enough Myths! Know Your Facts”

On the occasion of World Cancer Day on February 4, 2014, the King Hussein Cancer Foundation and Center launched an awareness campaign to address common myths about cancer entitled “Enough Myths! Know Your Facts.” The campaign was launched in line with a global campaign titled  “Debunking the Myths” led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) aiming to correct misconceptions and raise awareness about cancer to help combat this disease and break the barrier of silence and shame.

The campaign launched by the King Hussein Cancer Foundation and Center aims to tackle four prevalent myths in Jordan about cancer, which are: cancer is a death sentence, cancer has no symptoms, one can’t do anything to prevent cancer, and we don’t need to  talk about cancer.

The campaign will include an animated video and caricatures containing local humor and informative messages. The video and caricatures will be disseminated via TV ads, social media and directly communicated with partners, corporations, educational institutions and the general public in order to reach all age groups. During the campaign, which will run throughout the month of February, the King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF) will set up booths at several malls within the kingdom to further engage the public and distribute awareness material about cancer myths and facts.

Dr. Asem Mansour, CEO/Director General of the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) said: “World Cancer Day was established to fight misconceptions about cancer, which if not addressed, can reinforce existing taboos and make it harder for us to fight it. Cancer does not mean death; as medical breakthroughs and technologies have allowed us to fight the disease much more successfully and help many patients heal, or at least treat it as a temporary disease that can be overcome.”

World Cancer Day is a worldwide initiative spearheaded by UICC that aims to reduce cancer rates by increasing public awareness and urging governments and individuals to take the necessary steps to fight cancer successfully. World Cancer Day also endeavors to highlight the importance of uniting global efforts in fighting cancer through mobilizing local and international organizations to spread awareness messages that help in preventing and overcoming cancer.