The 4th of February is world Cancer Day, an international day marked to raise awarenes of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection and treatment.

Martine Risch from the Fondation Cancer here in Luxembourg came on the show today to talk about the #commenttedire (talk about cancer) campaign that they launched last year that aims to educate people about how to correctly talk about and discuss cancer.

The Fondation Cancer provides support for people dealing with cancer in Luxembourg, raising awareness and funds to support research into cancer and offering free psychosocial services to cancer patients.

In 2022 the Fondation launched the #Commenttedire campaign, collecting testimony from over 300 cancer patients about how language can affect their exprience. Patients were asked to provide examples of which words can be useful and encouraging when discussing cancer and which can be less useful or even hurtful. The feedback was compiled into a free guide which can accessed online. The guide offers examples of how to speak to cancer patients, how not to speak to them as well as how to act when the words can't be found.

The Fondation Cancer's psychologists provide free psychological consultations for people with cancer and their relatives in seven different languages and this year the organization will begin to offer onco-aesthetic workshops, consultations in onco-sexology and group consultations in cognitive rehabilitation.

The Fondation cancer also organises the yearly Relais Pour La Vie event in Luxembourg, an annual awareness and fundraising relay running event which this year will take place on the 25th and 26th of March.

For more information visit www.cancer.lu