World Cancer Day 2018: Facts And Quotes About Fighting The Disease

World Cancer Day is observed on Feb. 4 every year, under the tagline "We can. I can." The campaign, which started in 2000, aims to promote research to cure and prevent the disease, improve treatment and raise awareness.

According to annual statistics reporting from the American Cancer Society, the death rate from cancer in the U.S. has declined steadily over the past two decades. More than 1.6 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year. Globally, more than 14 million people learn they have cancer every year.

The most common cancers to be diagnosed in men are prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers, which account for 42 percent of all cases. The most common cancers to be diagnosed in women are breast, lung, and colorectal cancers, while in children Leukemia accounts for almost a third (29 percent) of all childhood cancers, followed by brain and other nervous system tumors (26 percent), according to the American Cancer Society.

Sunday, when the world marks cancer day, reading some kind and inspirational words about personal strength and perseverance could be a good option. Here are some quotes to share from personalities, some of who have fought cancer.

1. "When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up or fight like hell." — Cyclist Lance Armstrong

2. "When you have cancer, it's like you enter a new time zone: the Cancer Zone. Everything in the Tropic of Cancer revolves around your health or your sickness. I didn't want my whole life to revolve around cancer. Life came first; cancer came second." — author Regina Brett

3. "Cancer has taught me a lot of things. Maybe it is the best thing that has happened to me. I can't say right now, but maybe some years down the line, I would realize. When I was taking chemotherapy, there were a lot of elderly patients and that would inspire me. I thought, 'If they can be cured, why can't I be?'" — Indian cricket player Yuvraj Singh

4. “Cancer affects all of us, whether you’re a daughter, mother, sister, friend, coworker, doctor, or patient.” — actress Jennifer Aniston

5. "Cancer didn't bring me to my knees, it brought me to my feet." — actor Michael Douglas

6. “Time is shortening. But every day that I challenge this cancer and survive is a victory for me.” – Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman

7. “No matter what happens, whether cancer never flares up again or whether you die, the important thing is that the days you have had you will have lived.” – comedian Gilda Radner

8. “I’ve learned to make fearless choices. You come up against stuff now and you’re like ‘Alright! Just do it!’” – singer Melissa Etheridge

9. “Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul.” – basketball player Jim Valvano

10. “At the end of the day, none of it matters but your own joy, your own spiritual journey that you go on, your loved ones, your friends, your animals. These are the things you’ve got to cherish and love and embrace.” – actress Christina Applegate