Mexico City Hosts World Cancer Day Events

This Wednesday, February 4, 2026, marks World Cancer Day, an initiative promoted since 2000 by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), aimed at raising awareness among the public and health systems about prevention, early detection, timely treatment, and equitable cancer care worldwide. This commemoration also seeks to mobilize governments, health institutions, civil society organizations, and citizens based on scientific evidence to reduce the burden of a disease that continues to be one of the main public health challenges globally. World Cancer Day 2026 is part of the second year of the three-year campaign 2025–2027 “United by Unique” (#UnitedByUnique / #UnidosPorloÚnico), led by the UICC. In Mexico City, various activities have been confirmed for tomorrow, open to the public. The National Cancer Institute (INCAN), through its Integrative Oncology Unit (UnOI), will hold the “Health Promotion Fair 2026” from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with free admission. The event will include educational talks, free screenings, informational modules, and health promotion activities focused on prevention and early diagnosis. As a symbolic gesture to raise visibility, the Angel of Independence and the Monument to the Revolution—and possibly other buildings—will be illuminated in orange, the official color of World Cancer Day. At the regional level, the Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) will host the webinar “Support for Cervical Cancer Elimination,” focusing on access to supplies, vaccination, and prevention. The seminar will be broadcast tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Washington D.C. time (approximately 9:00 a.m. in Mexico City) and will be open to health workers, policymakers, and the interested public. During this commemoration, institutions such as the Ministry of Health, IMSS, ISSSTE, Fundación Cancer Warriors de México, and Fundación Foro Nacional de Cáncer, among others, will launch informational campaigns, talks, and social media actions with messages centered on early detection and timely care. The institutions call on the population to actively participate, both tomorrow and year-round, by sharing messages or stories with #DíaMundialContraElCáncer and #UnidosPorloÚnico, wearing an orange ribbon as a symbol of support, attending the INCAN Fair in Mexico City, performing self-examinations (breasts, testicles, skin), and scheduling screening tests such as Pap smears, mammograms, or fecal occult blood tests, and adopting preventive habits: not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, consuming fruits, vegetables, and fiber, and limiting alcohol and ultra-processed foods. According to international organizations, between 30% and 50% of cancers are preventable, and many types of cancer have survival rates of over 90% when detected early, positioning prevention and timely diagnosis as fundamental pillars of the health response.