About 7.6 million people worldwide died last year from various forms of cancer, with lung cancer, caused by smoking, as the number one killer.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization, projected that about 12.3 million people will develop cancer this year.
Cancer’s burden is on the rise in developing countries, as well as deaths from infectious diseases as child mortality fall and more people live longer. Cancer is more common as people get older.
Cancer is also increasing in developing countries as people embrace habits linked to cancer, like smoking and eating fat-rich diets.
The report estimated that in developed nations, about 2.9 million of the 5.4 million people who will get cancer will die of the disease, while in developing nations, there will be 6.7 million cases and 4.7 million deaths.
Cancers related to infections, such as stomach, liver and cervical cancer, were more common in developing countries
Globally, 15 percent of all cancers are caused by infections. The Helicobacter pylori bacteria causes stomach cancer while the human papillomavirus causes cervical cancer. Hepatitis, on the other hand, can cause liver cancer.
Among men, the three most common diagnosed cancers are prostate, lung and colorectal in developed countries, while lung, stomach and liver cancers for those in developing countries.
Among women, the three most commonly diagnosed cancers are lung, breast and colorectal in developed countries, while breast, cervical and stomach cancers for women in developing countries.
About 465,000 women will die of breast cancer this year, making it the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide, the group said. |
