Latest stats on cancer deaths:
About 7.6 million people will die this year worldwide from various types of cancer, with lung cancer — heavily driven by smoking — killing 975,000 men and 376,000 women, the American Cancer Society said on Monday.
In all, about 12.3 million people will develop cancer this year, the organization projected, using data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization.
About 20,000 people die of cancer every day worldwide, the report showed. Smoking was heavily responsible for the lung cancer scourge.
Cancer’s burden is on the rise in developing countries as deaths from infectious diseases and child mortality fall and more people live longer, American Cancer Society epidemiologist Ahmedin Jemal said in a telephone interview. Cancer is more common as people get older, Jemal noted.
Cancer also is increasing in developing countries as people embrace habits linked to cancer such as smoking and fattier diets, Jemal said.
The report estimated 5.4 million people will get cancer and 2.9 million will die of cancer in developed nations, with 6.7 million cases and 4.7 million deaths in developing nations.
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