Recognize Rare Cancer Day with NORD
Rare Cancer Day is an annual awareness day devoted to shining a light on rare cancers and the issues people living with them face. Spearheaded by the NORD Rare Cancer Coalition®, which is composed of 30 rare cancer-specific member organizations, Rare Cancer Day is observed on September 23 to highlight the challenges patients face and to unify individuals living with rare cancers for awareness and early diagnosis.
Get Involved
Every rare cancer journey is unique, and every story has the power to make a difference. Ahead of Rare Cancer Day on September 23, NORD’s Rare Cancer Coalition invites patients and caregivers to share their experiences living with or caring for someone affected by a rare cancer.
Your voice can help raise awareness, foster understanding, advocate for earlier diagnosis and better support for the rare cancer community.
Submit your story through our Share Your Story form and select “Rare Cancer Day” under the “campaign interests” dropdown.
Join the conversation this Rare Cancer Day and raise awareness by sharing information about rare cancer on social media and with your state officials. Your voice matters in spreading knowledge and fostering support for those affected by rare cancer.
#RareCancerDay
- Download Rare Cancer Day Governor’s Proclamation Toolkit
- Download Rare Cancer Day Social Media Toolkit
- Download Rare Cancer Day Infographic
- Download Rare Cancer Day Social Media Posts Assets
Register for NORD’s Rare Cancer Day 2026 Webinar
Join NORD’s Rare Cancer Coalition on Thursday, September 17 at 12 p.m. ET for a webinar focused on exploring how patient perspectives can help strengthen and improve rare cancer research ahead of Rare Cancer Day.
Experts and patients will discuss the opportunities and challenges rare cancer patients face when participating in research and share why integrating patient perspectives is essential to advancing future studies.
Whether you are a patient, caregiver, advocate, researcher, or healthcare professional, this conversation will highlight the important role patient engagement plays in driving research forward and improving outcomes for the rare cancer community.
Jim Palma, CEO, Target Cancer Foundation; NORD Board Member
Dr. Haley Ellis, Oncologist and Clinician Scientist, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Alexandria Caron, Membership Manager, NORD
Sanjeev Kumar, Founder & CEO, Gallbladder Cancer Foundation
What to Know About Rare Cancer
Click and download the individual graphics below for sharing or click here to download the all the images at once. All of the Rare Cancer Day graphics are free for public use.
Continuing Medical Education
NORD and Platform Q health are proud to feature ongoing courses about Rare Cancers as an important part of our CME offerings. These courses are available for credit for one year following their publication.
Click here to check out some of the past CME sessions on Rare Cancer.
Thank you to our Rare Cancer Coalition 2026 Sponsors
Rare Cancer Consortium Partners:
Rare Cancer Coalition Champions:
Rare Cancer Day Supporter
