The number of people worldwide diagnosed with cancer each year is
forecast to swell from 12::7 million in 2008 to 22.2 million within the
next 20 years.
The trend is blamed on the spread of Western lifestyles to
developing countries, where more people are now eating convenience food,
becoming obese and smoking. A number of common cancers are linked to unhealthy high-income living, including those affecting the breast, prostate and bowel.
Substantial rises in the incidence of these diseases are likely
to offset falling rates of others associated with infections, including
cervical and stomach cancers, say researchers.
Scientists based their findings on a snapshot of cancer statistics collected from 184 countries in 2008.
The incidence and death rate estimates were recorded on the
Globocan database compiled by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
Source - Independent
