Worldwide Cancer Cases to Soar by 70%

In its “World Cancer Report 2014,” the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer reports that new cancer cases expected to grow from 14 million a year in 2012 to 25 million.  The largest burden will be borne by low- and middle-income countries, which have a greater propensity to be affected by cancers triggered by infections or associated with more affluent lifestyles. Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed among men (16.7% of cases) and the biggest killer (23.6% of deaths). Breast cancer is the most common diagnosis in women (25.2%) and caused 14.7% of deaths, which is a drop and only just exceeds lung cancer deaths in women (13.8%). Bowel, prostate and stomach cancer are the other most common diagnoses. The report warns that alcohol, obesity and physical inactivity, along with tobacco, are all preventable causes of cancer.