What it all
boils down to is that a slew of bad choices brought upon us over the past
decades is been adopted by a globalizing world all at once and the counter
movement we have experienced is not there yet.
Thus they must experience what the West experienced in quick time.
They are also
now living longer and that means that cancer in particular will have time to
emerge.
All this adds up
to a demographic cancer peak hitting heavy long before the population is able
to respond properly to the developing threat.
We can do better but will not.
Cancer 'tidal wave' on horizon, warns WHO
4 February 2014 Last updated at 01:33 ET
The globe is facing a "tidal wave" of
cancer, and restrictions on alcohol and sugar need to be considered, say World
Health Organization scientists.
It predicts the number of cancer cases will reach 24
million a year by 2035, but half could be prevented.
The WHO said there was now a "real need"
to focus on cancer prevention by tackling smoking, obesity and drinking.
The World Cancer Research Fund said there was an
"alarming" level of naivety about diet's role in cancer.
Fourteen million people a year are diagnosed with
cancer, but that is predicted to increase to 19 million by 2025, 22 million by
2030 and 24 million by 2035.
The developing world will bear the brunt of the
extra cases.
###
Chris Wild, the director of the WHO's International
Agency for Research on Cancer, told the BBC: "The global cancer burden is
increasing and quite markedly, due predominately to the ageing of the
populations and population growth.
"If we look at the cost of treatment of
cancers, it is spiralling out of control, even for the high-income countries.
Prevention is absolutely critical and it's been somewhat neglected."
The WHO's World Cancer Report 2014 said the major sources of preventable cancer
included:
Smoking
Infections
Alcohol
Obesity and inactivity
Radiation, both from the sun and medical scans
Air pollution and other environmental factors
Delayed parenthood, having fewer children and not
breastfeeding
For most countries, breast cancer is the most common
cancer in women. However, cervical cancer dominates in large parts of Africa.
Dr Chris Wild, WHO: "We're not going to be able
to address this problem by simply improving treatment"
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a major cause. It
is thought wider use of the HPV and other vaccines could prevent hundreds of
thousands of cancers.
One of the report's editors, Dr Bernard Stewart from
the University of New South Wales in Australia, said prevention had a
"crucial role in combating the tidal wave of cancer which we see coming
across the world".
Dr Stewart said human behaviour was behind many
cancers such as the sunbathe "until you're cooked evenly on both
sides" approach in his native Australia.
He said it was not the role of the International
Agency for Research on Cancer to dictate what should be done.
But he added: "In relation to alcohol, for
example, we're all aware of the acute effects, whether it's car accidents or
assaults, but there's a burden of disease that's not talked about because it's
simply not recognised, specifically involving cancer.
"The extent to which we modify the availability
of alcohol, the labelling of alcohol, the promotion of alcohol and the price of
alcohol - those things should be on the agenda."
He said there was a similar argument to be had with
sugar fuelling obesity, which in turn affected cancer risk.
Meanwhile, a survey of 2,046 people in the UK by the World Cancer Research
Fund (WCRF) suggested 49% do not know that diet increases the risk of
developing cancer.
A third of people said cancer was mainly due
to family history,
but the charity said no more than 10% of cancers were down to inherited genes.
Amanda McLean, general manager for the WCRF, said:
"It's very alarming to see that such a large number of people don't know
that there's a lot they can do to significantly reduce their risk of getting
cancer.
For most countries, breast cancer is the most common
cancer in women
"In the UK, about a third of the most common
cancers could be prevented through being a healthy weight, eating a healthy
diet and being
regularly physically active.
"These results show that many people still seem
to mistakenly accept their chances of getting cancer as a throw of the dice,
but by making lifestyle changes today, we can help prevent cancer
tomorrow."
It advises a diet packed with vegetables, fruit, and
wholegrains; cutting down on alcohol and red meat; and junking processed meat
completely.
Dr Jean King, Cancer Research UK's director of
tobacco control, said: "The most shocking thing about this report's
prediction that 14 million cancer cases a year will rise to 22 million globally
in the next 20 years is that up to half of all cases could be prevented.
"People can cut their risk of cancer by making
healthy lifestyle choices, but it's important to remember that the government
and society are also responsible for creating an environment that supports
healthy lifestyles.
"It's clear that if we don't act now to curb
the number of people getting cancer, we will be at the heart of a global crisis
in cancer care within the next two decades."
1 comment:
And not a single word about Fukushima
Post a Comment