By Ahmedin Jemal, DVM, PhD, Vice President, Surveillance and Health Services Research, American Cancer Society
This is an excerpt from an article originally published on the Expert Voices blog on cancer.org December 3, 2014.
The American Cancer Society has released the second edition of The Cancer Atlas book and, for the first time, a companion website. The Cancer Atlas provides in-depth information on the global burden of cancer, major risk factors, and cancer prevention and control measures.
Changes in developing countries leading to more cancer
It is estimated that the global burden of cancer is expected to rise from 14.1 million new cancer diagnoses in 2012 to 19.3 million in 2025 simply due to the aging and growth of the population. This is because the risk of getting cancer is greater as you age. During this period, even more cancers are diagnosed in less economically developed countries, increasing from 59% to 68% of the total cancer cases worldwide. In addition to aging, the burden is likely to increase as countries transition from a farming-based economy to an industry-based economy and as people change their work environments (office instead of farm), modes of transportation (driving instead of walking), and dietary habits (eating out instead of home cooked) – all of which lead to more obesity and physical inactivity, known risk factors for many common cancers.
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