The German Medical Journal has published the results of the report of the International Agency for Research on Cancer for 2018. Wday.ru singled out ten of the most important points from it.
Back in September last year This agency, supported by the International Health Organization, annually analyzes cancer statistics from 185 countries. Based on the results of these studies, one can single out 10 facts about cancer that are relevant around the world.
1. The number of recorded cancer cases around the world is growing. This is due to the growth of the population on the planet, and to the increase in life expectancy, since most cancers are diagnosed in elderly people.
2. Economic development is an important factor determining the spread of a particular type of cancer. For example, in low-income countries, cancers of the stomach, liver and cervix caused by chronic infectious diseases are more common. In wealthy countries, for example, there are four times more pancreatic tumor diagnoses and more colon and breast cancers.
3. North America, Australia, New Zealand and Northern Europe (Finland, Sweden, Denmark) have the highest chances of survival after being diagnosed with cancer. In contrast, Asia and Africa have the worst prognosis for cure, due to the frequent detection of the disease at too late stages and poor medical provision.
4. The most common cancer in the world today is lung cancer. It is followed by, in terms of the number of reported cases, breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer.
5. Lung cancer is also the cause of most deaths caused by malignant tumors worldwide. Colon cancer, stomach cancer and liver cancer are also the most common causes of death in patients.
6. In some countries, certain types of cancer may be more common. For example, in Hungary, men and women are more likely to develop lung cancer than in any other country in Eastern Europe. Breast cancer is particularly common in Belgium, liver cancer in Mongolia, and thyroid cancer in South Korea.
7. Depending on the country, the same type of cancer can be cured with different success. In Sweden, for example, brain cancer in children is cured in 80 percent of cases. In Brazil, only 20 percent of children with this diagnosis survive.
8. Globally, men are more likely to develop cancer than women, and lung cancer is the leading cause of death in men. In women, this type of cancer in the list of the most common causes of death follows only breast cancer.
9. Among the most successful cancer prevention strategies, scientists identify vaccinations, citing successful companies in Southeast Asia. There, vaccinations against papilloma and hepatitis viruses have significantly reduced the number of diagnoses of cervical cancer and liver cancer.
10. Among the risk factors for cancer, doctors around the world name overweight, unhealthy diet, inactivity and such bad habits as smoking and alcohol. If in this regard people can change their lifestyle, thereby having a positive effect on their health, then none of us is immune from cell mutation, which is also a frequent and, alas, inexplicable cause of cancer.