The World Health Organization recently reported on the increase of deaths caused by cancer. According to WHO, the number of cancer cases increased, with 14.1 million new cases in 2012, compared to 12.7 million in 2008. The numbers are from the organization's recent estimates for 28 different types of cancers from 184 countries.
More than that, 8.2 million deaths were caused by cancer in 2012 compared to the 7.6 million in 2008.
The most common cancers diagnosed worldwide are lung cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer. However, the most common that cause deaths are cancers of the lung, liver, and stomach.
Cancer rates are likely to rise, according to WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer. Because of the growth and aging of the population, a projected 19.3 million cases may be expected per year by 2025.
Breast cancer has had a sharp rise in 2012, with 1.7 million women diagnosed, and 6.3 million women alive who had been diagnosed in the five years prior. Breast cancer has increased by more than 20% in 2008, while mortality has increased by 14%. With 522,000 deaths in 2012, breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death, as well as the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women from 140 countries worldwide.
Said Dr. David Forman, Head of IARC Section of Cancer Information, "Breast cancer is also a leading cause of cancer death in the less developed countries of the world. This is partly because a shift in lifestyles is causing an increase in incidence, and partly because clinical advances to combat the disease are not reaching women living in these regions."
More than half of all cancers and cancer-related deaths in 2012 occurred in the less developed regions, however a shift towards lifestyles that are typical of industrialized countries are also cause of the rising burden of cancers that are associated with reproductive, dietary, as well as hormonal risk factors.
As explained by the Director if IARC, Dr. Christopher Wild, "An urgent need in cancer control today is to develop effective and affordable approaches to the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer among women living in less developed countries. It is critical to bring morbidity and mortality in line with progress made in recent years in more developed parts of the world."