Here are some interesting facts from the recent update to the global cancer atlas
- The worldwide cancer burden is expected to increase by about 60% from 2018 to 2040 due to population aging and growth alone.
- Each year, about 270,000 cancer cases are diagnosed in children.
- Burkitt lymphoma is the most common paediatric cancer in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
- New Zealand is the only country in the world that routinely records and reports national-level cancer statistics for its Indigenous population.
- In 2017 smoking was responsible for an estimated 2.3 million cancer deaths globally, accounting for 24% of all cancer deaths.
- Outdoor air pollution causes over half a million lung cancer deaths and millions of deaths from other diseases each year.
- Helicobacter pylori , human papillomavirus, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus are responsible for an estimated 15% of all new cancer cases worldwide.
- In 2012 excess body weight accounted for 3.6% of all new cancer cases among adults worldwide.
- Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in almost all countries worldwide, and accounts for almost one in four new cancer cases among women.
- Many cancer survivors face late and lasting medical, emotional, and social challenges resulting in 7.8 million years lived with disability globally in 2017