Breast cancer now world’s most commonly diagnosed cancer

Breast cancer now world's most commonly diagnosed cancer

CREDIT: Twitter/Unitedhealthcare

Breast cancer is now the world’s most commonly diagnosed cancer.

THE  global cancer landscape is changing, according to World Health Organisaton (WHO) experts on World Cancer Day 2021 (February 4).

Breast cancer has now overtaken lung cancer as the world’s most commonly-diagnosed cancer, according to statistics released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

To raise awareness, WHO is today hosting the first of a series of consultations in order to establish a new global breast cancer initiative, which will launch later in 2021.

This collaborative effort between WHO, IARC, the International Atomic Energy Agency and other multi-sectoral partners, aims to reduce deaths from breast cancer by promoting breast health, improving timely cancer detection and ensuring access to quality care.

WHO and the cancer community “are responding with renewed urgency to address breast cancer and to respond to the growing cancer burden globally that is straining individuals, communities and health systems”, said the organisation.

In the past two decades, the overall number of people diagnosed with cancer nearly doubled, from an estimated 10 million in 2000 to 19.3 million in 2020.

Today, one in five people worldwide will develop cancer during their lifetime, says WHO.

Projections suggest that the number of people being diagnosed with cancer will increase still further in the coming years, and will be nearly 50 per cent higher in 2040 than in 2020.

The number of deaths from cancer has also increased, from 6.2 million in 2000 to 10 million in 2020.

More than one out of every six deaths is due to cancer.

While changes in lifestyle, such as unhealthy diets, insufficient physical activity, use of tobacco and harmful use of alcohol, have all contributed to the increasing cancer burden, WHO claims a significant proportion can also be attributed to increasing longevity, as the risk of developing cancer increases with age.

“This reinforces the need to invest in both cancer prevention and cancer control, focusing on actionable cancers like breast, cervical and childhood cancers.”

“The Covid pandemic has exacerbated the problems of late-stage diagnosis and lack of access to treatment. These occur everywhere but particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In addition to having to cope with the disruption of services, people living with cancer are also at higher risk of severe Covid-19 illness and death,” added the health organisation.

A WHO survey conducted in 2020 indicated that treatment for cancer had been disrupted in more than 40 per cent of countries surveyed during the pandemic.

The findings of the survey have been backed up by published studies indicating that delays in diagnosis are common, while interruptions to and abandonment of therapy have increased significantly.

Meanwhile, enrolment in clinical trials and research output have declined.


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Tara Rippin

Tara Rippin is a reporter for Spain’s largest English-speaking newspaper, Euro Weekly News, and is responsible for the Costa Blanca region.
She has been in journalism for more than 20 years, having worked for local newspapers in the Midlands, UK, before relocating to Spain in 1990.
Since arriving, the mother-of-one has made her home on the Costa Blanca, while spending 18 months at the EWN head office in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol.
She loves being part of a community that has a wonderful expat and Spanish mix, and strives to bring the latest and most relevant news to EWN’s loyal and valued readers.

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