(01-07-10) Cancer Will Kill 13.2 Million a Year by 2030

Cancer will kill more than 13.2 million people a year by 2030, almost double
the number who died from the disease in 2008. Only 7.6 million people died of
cancer in 2008.
Around 56 percent of new cancer cases worldwide in 2008 were in developing
countries and these regions also accounted for 63 percent of all cancer deaths.
According to Reuters:
"The projection for annual death rates of 13.2 million and annual diagnosis of
21.4 million were based on assumptions that underlying rates of cancer would
remain the same over the next two decades".
The rate of men dying from melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer has
doubled over the past three decades. In the late 1970s, fewer than 1.5 per
100,000 men died from melanoma; that figure has now risen to over 3.1 per
100,000.
The death rates for women have also risen, from 1.5 per 100,000 to 2.2 per
100,000.
According to BBC News:
"The figures suggest men are either not aware of skin cancer symptoms or are
ignoring them and putting off going to see their [doctor]".
In addition, a new study joins the evidence showing just how profound of an
effect pesticide use can have on human health. Researchers found that women
with a history of farming had a greater risk of developing breast cancer.
The scientists were attempting to find groups with heightened cancer risks
because of their jobs. They assumed the most common group would be male
industrial workers, but to their surprise, they found it was women with breast
cancer who had a history of farming.
According to Sustainable Food:
"Researchers believe chemicals and pesticides are to blame for the increased
breast cancer rates in female farm workers. Some pesticides and farm chemicals
are carcinogens, while others mimic estrogen. Chemicals that mimic estrogen are
linked to cancer and other diseases, particularly if exposure occurred during
childhood."
Meanwhile, cancer research keeps discovering the power of foods against
cancer.
For example, breast cancer cells, even those of the most aggressive type, died
after treatments with peach and plum extracts in laboratory tests. Normal cells
were not harmed in the process. Two phenolic compounds are responsible for the
cancer cell deaths. Phenols are slightly acidic and may be associated with
traits such as aroma, taste or color.
Eurekalert reports:
"According to the National Cancer Institute, there were 192,370 new cases of
breast cancer in females and 1,910 cases in males in 2009. That year, 40,170
women and 440 men died from breast cancer. The World Health Organization
reports that breast cancer accounts for 16 percent of the cancer deaths of
women globally."


Sources:
Reuters June 1, 2010
BBC News May 30, 2010
Sustainable Food May 14, 2010
Eurekalert June 2, 2010

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