Cancer Up With Longevity
Increases in life expectancy around the world have led to increases in some cancers as well, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has reported. Breast and lung cancers have doubled over the past 30 years, with 1.1 million women around the world diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
Stomach and cervical cancers have actually decreased thanks to improvements in hygiene and routine screening, Reuters reports.
With the number of smokers up in the Third World the past 20 years, lung cancer rates can be expected to continue to rise as well.
The highest rates of cancer among men are found in the United States, Hungary, and New Zealand; the lowest rates in Niger, Gambia, and Congo. For women, the highest rates are in the United States, Israel, and New Zealand, the lowest in Tunisia, Gambia, and Oman.
Professor John Toy of Cancer Research UK said that cancer still primarily afflicts those in the developed world, though he hopes that “new treatments will continue to improve the chances of surviving the disease.”