Cancer Rates Expected to Rise Worldwide

The seven most common types cancer worldwide are lung cancer, female breast cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, prostate cancer, liver cancer and cervical cancer. According to a study published in the journal Lancet Oncology, the number of people with cancer is likely to increase by more than 75% across the world by the year 2030.

As the poorer countries around the world become more affluent, they tend to adopt the unhealthy habits that typically accompany affluence including poor diet and lack of exercise. As a result, The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer predicts a particularly sharp rise in the rates of cancer in poor countries as they adopt unhealthy “Westernized” lifestyles. In fact, they predict that cases in less developed regions will rise 93% by the year 2030. In the middle income countries such as China and India, the study predicts that the cases of cancer will rise 78% over the same period. On a positive note, the study predicts that the rates of the types of cancer that are caused by infections will decrease as the poorer, less developed countries become more affluent.

Currently there are a number of initiatives in the United States aimed at educating people about healthy eating habits as well as the merits of regular exercise, smoking cessation and a number of other healthy lifestyle behaviors. As the cancer rates begin to increase, we are likely to see similar campaigns some of the less developed countries around the world.  To get more information about breast cancer, cervical cancer and the associated risk factors, talk to a board-certified Gynecologist in your local area.