Cancer cases across the world are growing rapidly and are expected to go up to 57 percent in the coming 20 years, a World Health Organisation report says.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, disease is growing at an "alarming pace." An estimated 14 million additional cancer per year in 2012 were reported and the number is expected to go up to 22 million annually within two decades. Furthermore, the deaths due to cancer are expected to rise from 8.2 million a year to 13 million annually, reports CNN.
The report also stated that the increasing number of ageing population worldwide will affect the growing numbers of cancers. Over 60 percent of the global burden is in Africa, Asia and Central and South America. Around 70 percent of cancer deaths are reported in these continents, reports Medical News Today. Lack of early detection and treatment is a growing problem in these areas.
Experts say that taking preventive action to curb rising incidences of cancer is a necessity. "We cannot treat our way out of the cancer problem," Dr Christopher Wild, director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, said, reports CNN. "More commitment to prevention and early detection is desperately needed in order to complement improved treatments and address the alarming rise in cancer burden globally."
The report also stated that it is important to lead a healthy lifestyle in order to cut down the cancer rates. Lung cancer topped the chart of the most commonly diagnosed cancer with 13 percent. This was followed by breast cancer with 11.9 percent and large bowel cancer with 9.7 percent. Liver cancer at 9.1 percent and stomach cancer at 8.8 percent were responsible for the most deaths after lung cancer.
