Cancer is projected to become the leading cause of death worldwide in the year 2010, and low- and middle-income countries will feel the impact of higher cancer incidence and death rates more sharply than industrialized countries.
The WHO Resolution on Cancer Control provides a strong impetus for countries to develop programmes aimed at the reduction of cancer incidence and mortality. On the basis of resources and competing health priorities, priorities need to be realistic and achievable and include a focus on the identification, delivery, and assessment of effective cancer control measures.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO) and the newly launched World Cancer Report, the burden of cancer doubled globally between 1975 and 2000. It is estimated that it will double again by 2020 and nearly triple by 2030. This translates to far greater numbers of people living with – and dying from – the disease. The report estimates that there were some 12 million new cancer diagnoses worldwide this year, and more than seven million people will die from the disease. The projected numbers for the year 2030 are 20-26 million new diagnoses and 13-17 million deaths.
The growing cancer burden includes global increases of incidence of about one percent each year, with larger increases in China, Russia, and India. Reasons for the increased rates include adoption of Western habits in less developed countries, such as tobacco use and higher-fat diets, and demographic changes, including a projected population increase of 38 percent in less developed countries between 2008 and 2030.
Prevent those cancers that can be prevented; Treat cancers which can be treated; Cure those cancers which can be cured; Provide palliation whenever it is required.
Take action against Tobacco world-wide; Implement what is known to reduce cancer risk; Develop concerted action against breast cancer; Develop concerted action against cancer of the cervix.
In addition to increases in cancer incidence and death rates, the report identifies challenges in cancer care, especially in Africa, where pain management and palliative care are very limited because any use of narcotics is prohibited by law in several countries.
"The rapid increase in the global cancer burden represents a real challenge for health systems worldwide. However, there is a clear message of hope: although cancer is a devastating disease, it is largely preventable. We know that preventive measures such as tobacco control, reduction of alcohol consumption, increased physical activity, vaccinations for hepatitis B and human papillomavirus (HPV), and screening and awareness could have a great impact on reducing the global cancer burden."
Identifying the causes of cancer helps identifying the right control strategy :
The great problems facing low- and medium-resource countries into this century are the growth and ageing of the population and the westernisation of their lifestyle and tobacco. Changes in lifestyle habits, increase in sedentary lifestyle, weight gain and obesity and sociological changes notably increasing age at first birth and decreasing parity in women, are leading to large increases in breast and colorectal cancer in particular.
Tobacco is the best identified human carcinogen and which is carcinogenic in all its forms of use. It is clear, and has been for several years now, that the effect of tobacco on cancer risk, and indeed on overall mortality, is far in excess of any other common risk factor or treatment effect. Tobacco use has taken hold in populations in low- and medium-resource countries and substantial increases have taken place in smoking prevalence in recent years. Given the substantial delay, which approaches 40 years, between big changes in smoking prevalence in populations being reflected in big changes in disease rates, the peak of the tobacco-smoking related cancer epidemic in low- and medium-countries has still to materialize.
Less than 20% of the world’s population is covered by cancer registration. The first big step towards cancer prevention and control worldwide is understanding the magnitude and nature of the cancer burden in different regions of the world and then moving towards an understanding of avoidable causes.