Global cancer surge fuelled by alcohol, smoking and obesity predicted by WHO World Health Organisation experts issue timebomb warning and say key is prevention, possibly including tax on sugared drinks
According to the Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/03/alcohol-sugar-smoking-fuel-cancer-surge?CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2 The incidence of cancer globally has increased from 12.7m new cases in 2008 to 14.1m in 2012, when there were 8.2m deaths. By 2032, it is expected to hit almost 25m a year a 70% increase.
The biggest burden will be in low- and middle-income countries, where the population is increasing and living longer. They are hit by two types of cancers first, those triggered by infections, such as cervical cancers, which are still very prevalent in poorer countries that do not have screening, let alone the HPV vaccine.
Second, there are increasingly cancers associated with the lifestyles of more affluent countries "with increasing use of tobacco, consumption of alcohol and highly processed foods and lack of physical activity", writes Margaret Chan, WHO director general, in an introduction to the report.
The World Cancer Report, an 800-page volume on the state of cancer knowledge, which is the first for five years.The report shows that alcohol-attributable cancers were responsible for a total of 337,400 deaths worldwide in 2010, mostly among men.
About half of Britons do not recognise the importance of diet in protecting them against cancer, according to a poll carried out by the World Cancer Research Fund. The survey also found that 59% of people did not know that putting on weight increased cancer risk.
Jean King, Cancer Research UK's director of tobacco control, said: "People can cut their risk of cancer by making healthy lifestyle choices, but it's important to remember that the government and society are also responsible for creating an environment that supports healthy lifestyles. It's clear that if we don't act now to curb the number of people getting cancer, we will be at the heart of a global crisis in cancer care within the next two decades."
Now why doesn't this surprise me?...
