Researchers warn that worldwide cancer deaths involving women could increase by as much as 60 percent from rates in 2012 within the next decade and a half.
A new study conducted by the American Cancer Society estimates that around 5.5 million women around the world could lose their lives because of cancer by 2030. This is a significant increase compared to figures in 2012, when as many as 3.5 million female cancer patients died because of complications of the disease.
As the population of the world continues to grow and age, the report said the highest number of women's cancer deaths will occur in low- and middle-income nations and that most of them will involve malignancies that are largely preventable.
Study coauthor Sally Cowal explained that young and middle-aged adults are often the ones to lose their lives because of cancer. This takes a heavy toll not only on the families of these patients but on the economies of their countries as well.
Difference In Cancer Rates Between High- And Low-Income Countries
Records from 2012 reveal that the highest rates of cancer deaths among women were found in poorer countries such as Kenya, Malawi, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe.
While experts believe that preventive measures, such as mammograms and hepatitis B vaccinations, could be taken to avoid the development of certain cancers, these options may not be as readily available for people in poorer nations as they are in richer countries.
Interestingly, high-income countries, such as those in Asia, Europe and the Americas, had the highest rates of cancer per population group in 2012. However, this is largely because these nations have better health care programs for screening and detecting cancer in patients.
In the United States, cancer incidence and death rates dropped by as much as 20 percent since 1991. Cowal said this is the result of better medical treatment and tobacco control in the country.
Cancer survival rates in other high-income nations, such as Australia, Brazil and Canada, also saw a dramatic improvement. People diagnosed with breast cancer, one of the leading causes of deaths among women, had an 85 percent better chance of surviving the disease.
Breast cancer patients in low-income nations, however, didn't have the same optimistic results. Survival rates in these countries, such as Algeria, India, Mongolia and South Africa, were down by as much as 60 percent.
The American Cancer Society's report was presented during the World Cancer Congress in Paris, France.
