Today is World Cancer Day: WHO forecasts and new challenges in the fight against cancer.
Kyiv • UNN
The world records about 20 million cases of cancer every year. By 2050, the number may increase by 77% due to aging, bad habits, and pollution.
On February 4, the world celebrates World Cancer Day, aimed at raising awareness about oncology, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, reports UNN.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 20 million new cases of cancer are recorded worldwide every year, and this figure continues to grow. At the same time, experts emphasize that up to 40% of cancers can be prevented by following a healthy lifestyle, undergoing regular medical examinations, and vaccinating against human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B.
The most common types of cancer and mortality
According to the Global Cancer Observatory, the most common types of cancer in 2022 were:
• Lung cancer – 2.5 million cases (12.4% of the total),
• Breast cancer – 2.3 million cases (11.6%),
• Colorectal cancer – 1.9 million cases (9.6%),
• Prostate cancer – 1.5 million cases (7.3%),
• Stomach cancer – 970 thousand cases (4.9%).
At the same time, lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer deaths – in 2022, it caused 1.8 million deaths (18.7% of the total number of cancer deaths). Next are:
• Colorectal cancer – 900 thousand deaths (9.3%),
• Liver cancer – 760 thousand deaths (7.8%),
• Breast cancer – 670 thousand deaths (6.9%),
• Stomach cancer – 660 thousand deaths (6.8%).
Among women, breast cancer remains the most common type of cancer and cause of death, while among men, it is lung cancer.
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Forecast for 2050: a rapid increase in cancer cases
Experts predict that by 2050, more than 35 million new cases of cancer will be registered worldwide, which is 77% more than in 2022. The reasons for this increase are aging and population growth, as well as the prevalence of risk factors, including:
• tobacco smoking,
• alcohol abuse,
• obesity,
• air pollution.
According to WHO estimates, the largest increase in the number of cancer cases is expected in low-income countries, where there is no access to quality diagnosis and treatment.
Problems with the diagnosis of cancer in Ukraine
No less important is the problem of reducing the number of preventive examinations, in particular radiological examinations, such as X-rays of the chest organs and mammography. This issue has become even more relevant due to the deterioration of the mobility of the population in recent years. According to Yuriy Kovalenko, associate professor of the Department of Radiology, executive secretary of the Association of Radiologists of Ukraine, the number of examinations performed has decreased, which leads to the fact that a certain number of cases of lung and breast cancer are not detected at early stages.
"In recent years, due to many reasons, including the deterioration of the mobility of the population, the number of preventive radiological examinations, in particular X-rays of the chest organs and mammograms, has decreased. This means that a certain number of cases of lung and breast cancer have not been detected. On the one hand, this worsens the accuracy of statistical data, and on the other hand, it increases the number of neglected cases of lung and breast cancer, when their treatment is much more expensive and less effective... I think that the situation with the detection of cancer of other nosologies is no better. If instrumental diagnostics is not nearby, a person, as a rule, turns to it when clinical symptoms appear, and this is often not an early stage of the process...", - said Yuriy Kovalenko, associate professor of the Department of Radiology, executive secretary of the Association of Radiologists of Ukraine.
