Despite advances in medical care and the general public's awareness of what's good for their own health, both the United Nations and the World Health Organization are still worried that the battle against cancer is still raging, and is far from over.
A surge in cancer is expected as the world's population grows and grows older, and as people choose risky lifestyle habits like drinking, smoking, and consuming processed foods. A study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization suggests that deaths due to cancer could rise from 8.2 million to 12 million a year, eventually reaching 21.6 million per year by 2030.
Over 250 scientists compiled data from more than 40 different countries, and released the report one day before World Cancer Day.
The report said that more than 60 percent of the cancer cases in the world and 70 percent of cancer deaths occurred in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. Aside from these, the report also outlined certain demographic traits of cancer. It found that cancers of the liver stomach, and esophagus were common in the low-income countries while cancers of the breast, colorectum, and prostate were reported to be much higher in industrial, developed countries.
In the new cases diagnosed in Asia in 2012, most of them were in China. Almost 25 percent of new cancer cases diagnosed in 2013 were in Europe, about 20 percent were in the Americas, and 8 percent were in Africa and the Middle East. Higher income countries in North America and Europe, and Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, were also reported to have more cases of cancer than the countries with lower incomes.
In 2012, half of the world's deaths due to cancer occurred in Asia, 21.4 percent occurred in Europe, 16 percent in the Americas, and 10 percent in Africa and the Middle East. The report also showed that in developing countries, cancer is usually diagnosed at a more advanced stage. That treatment is less readily available in those countries only exacerbates the situation.
Lung cancer contributed greatly to cancer deaths in 2012. About 19 percent of reported deaths were due to cancer in the lungs. It is followed by cancer of the liver with 9.1 percent and cancer of the stomach with 8.8 percent.
The report expressed concerns about lung cancer, saying that a smoking epidemic was evolving in poor countries, and that this was most likely because of the successful global strategy of tobacco companies to expand their sales. Thus, treatment alone cannot solve the cancer problem. Effective preventive measures are needed to curb cancer cases more effectively.
The report called for adequate legislation to reduce exposure to carcinogens, and to stem risky behaviors and lifestyle choices. It cited as an example the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the first international treaty sponsored by the WHO, which aimed to help reduce the consumption of tobacco products by raising taxes for them and advertising restrictions and risk factors, among others, to discourage the general public's use of tobacco.
"Adequate legislation can encourage healthier behaviour, as well as having its recognized role in protecting people from workplace hazards and environmental pollutants," said Dr. Bernard Stewart, who co-edited the report. "In low- and middle-income countries, it is critical that Governments commit to enforcing regulatory measures to protect their populations and implement cancer prevention plans."
The annual economic cost of cancer to the world was over $1 trillion in 2010 alone. The human cost of cancer, however, is definitely worth much more. The report stressed that half of all cancers are preventable with the right lifestyle choices. Early detection and treatment is also crucial.
