The global burden of cancer continues to increase largely because of the aging and growth of the world population alongside an increasing adoption of cancer-causing behaviors, particularly smoking, in economically developing countries. Based on the GLOBOCAN 2008 estimates, about 12.7 million cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths are estimated to have occurred in 2008; of these, 56% of the cases and 64% of the deaths occurred in the economically developing world. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among females, accounting for 23% of the total cancer cases and 14% of the cancer deaths. Lung cancer is the leading cancer site in males, comprising 17% of the total new cancer cases and 23% of the total cancer deaths. Breast cancer is now also the leading cause of cancer death among females in economically developing countries, a shift from the previous decade during which the most common cause of cancer death was cervical cancer. Further, the mortality burden for lung cancer among females in developing countries is as high as the burden for cervical cancer, with each accounting for 11% of the total female cancer deaths. Although overall cancer incidence rates in the developing world are half those seen in the developed world in both sexes, the overall cancer mortality rates are generally similar. Cancer survival tends to be poorer in developing countries, most likely because of a combination of a late stage at diagnosis and limited access to timely and standard treatment. A substantial proportion of the worldwide burden of cancer could be prevented through the application of existing cancer control knowledge and by implementing programs for tobacco control, vaccination (for liver and cervical cancers), and early detection and treatment, as well as public health campaigns promoting physical activity and a healthier dietary intake. Clinicians, public health professionals, and policy makers can play an active role in accelerating the application of such interventions globally.

/pdf/global-cancer-statistics-49zjx478re.pdf

Global cancer statistics

There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

Cancer constitutes an enormous burden on society in more and less economically developed countries alike. The occurrence of cancer is increasing because of the growth and aging of the population, as well as an increasing prevalence of established risk factors such as smoking, overweight, physical inactivity, and changing reproductive patterns associated with urbanization and economic development. Based on GLOBOCAN estimates, about 14.1 million new cancer cases and 8.2 million deaths occurred in 2012 worldwide. Over the years, the burden has shifted to less developed countries, which currently account for about 57% of cases and 65% of cancer deaths worldwide. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among males in both more and less developed countries, and has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death among females in more developed countries; breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death among females in less developed countries. Other leading causes of cancer death in more developed countries include colorectal cancer among males and females and prostate cancer among males. In less developed countries, liver and stomach cancer among males and cervical cancer among females are also leading causes of cancer death. Although incidence rates for all cancers combined are nearly twice as high in more developed than in less developed countries in both males and females, mortality rates are only 8% to 15% higher in more developed countries. This disparity reflects regional differences in the mix of cancers, which is affected by risk factors and detection practices, and/or the availability of treatment. Risk factors associated with the leading causes of cancer death include tobacco use (lung, colorectal, stomach, and liver cancer), overweight/obesity and physical inactivity (breast and colorectal cancer), and infection (liver, stomach, and cervical cancer). A substantial portion of cancer cases and deaths could be prevented by broadly applying effective prevention measures, such as tobacco control, vaccination, and the use of early detection tests.

/pdf/global-cancer-statistics-2012-18pecqxl5v.pdf

Global cancer statistics, 2012

Each year, the American Cancer Society estimates the numbers of new cancer cases and deaths that will occur in the United States and compiles the most recent data on cancer incidence, mortality, and survival. Incidence data, available through 2015, were collected by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program; the National Program of Cancer Registries; and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. Mortality data, available through 2016, were collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. In 2019, 1,762,450 new cancer cases and 606,880 cancer deaths are projected to occur in the United States. Over the past decade of data, the cancer incidence rate (2006-2015) was stable in women and declined by approximately 2% per year in men, whereas the cancer death rate (2007-2016) declined annually by 1.4% and 1.8%, respectively. The overall cancer death rate dropped continuously from 1991 to 2016 by a total of 27%, translating into approximately 2,629,200 fewer cancer deaths than would have been expected if death rates had remained at their peak. Although the racial gap in cancer mortality is slowly narrowing, socioeconomic inequalities are widening, with the most notable gaps for the most preventable cancers. For example, compared with the most affluent counties, mortality rates in the poorest counties were 2-fold higher for cervical cancer and 40% higher for male lung and liver cancers during 2012-2016. Some states are home to both the wealthiest and the poorest counties, suggesting the opportunity for more equitable dissemination of effective cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment strategies. A broader application of existing cancer control knowledge with an emphasis on disadvantaged groups would undoubtedly accelerate progress against cancer.

https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.3322/caac.21551

Cancer statistics, 2019.

Each year, the American Cancer Society estimates the numbers of new cancer cases and deaths that will occur in the United States and compiles the most recent data on population-based cancer occurrence. Incidence data (through 2016) were collected by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program; the National Program of Cancer Registries; and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. Mortality data (through 2017) were collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. In 2020, 1,806,590 new cancer cases and 606,520 cancer deaths are projected to occur in the United States. The cancer death rate rose until 1991, then fell continuously through 2017, resulting in an overall decline of 29% that translates into an estimated 2.9 million fewer cancer deaths than would have occurred if peak rates had persisted. This progress is driven by long-term declines in death rates for the 4 leading cancers (lung, colorectal, breast, prostate); however, over the past decade (2008-2017), reductions slowed for female breast and colorectal cancers, and halted for prostate cancer. In contrast, declines accelerated for lung cancer, from 3% annually during 2008 through 2013 to 5% during 2013 through 2017 in men and from 2% to almost 4% in women, spurring the largest ever single-year drop in overall cancer mortality of 2.2% from 2016 to 2017. Yet lung cancer still caused more deaths in 2017 than breast, prostate, colorectal, and brain cancers combined. Recent mortality declines were also dramatic for melanoma of the skin in the wake of US Food and Drug Administration approval of new therapies for metastatic disease, escalating to 7% annually during 2013 through 2017 from 1% during 2006 through 2010 in men and women aged 50 to 64 years and from 2% to 3% in those aged 20 to 49 years; annual declines of 5% to 6% in individuals aged 65 years and older are particularly striking because rates in this age group were increasing prior to 2013. It is also notable that long-term rapid increases in liver cancer mortality have attenuated in women and stabilized in men. In summary, slowing momentum for some cancers amenable to early detection is juxtaposed with notable gains for other common cancers.

https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.3322/caac.21590

Cancer statistics, 2020.

Ex-smokers are exposed to a higher breast cancer risk than are never smokers. This conclusion is based on a follow-up of the 10 902 women in the Malmo Preventive Project. The 31% higher incidence in ex-smokers remained statistically significant when other risk factors were taken into account in the analysis. In both smokers and ex-smokers there was an increased incidence of oestrogen receptor negative tumours. In ex-smokers, but not in smokers, there was similarly an overrepresentation of poorly differentiated tumours.

Many women who give up smoking gain weight and obesity may be associated with increased lipid levels in the blood. Breast cancer incidence in ex-smokers was higher in women with high serum levels of triglycerides, but not in women with high cholesterol.

Probability of survival following breast cancer is only partly related to stage at diagnosis. In a follow-up of 792 breast cancer patients within the Malmo Mammographic Screening Trial, it was shown that, stage by stage, smokers had a less favourable prognosis than never smokers.

Breast cancer mortality rates differ substantially between residential areas in Malmo. In an analysis of incident cases and deaths between 1986-96, it was shown that stage at diagnosis, rather than incidence, contributes to this pattern. Areas with a high proportion of advanced carcinomas, and a high case-fatality rate, had a higher prevalence of smokers, ex-smokers, foreigners and residents receiving income support.

It is concluded that smoking is a risk factor for breast cancer and that smoking contributes to the pattern of breast cancer mortality.

Smoking and Breast Cancer

Dietary intakes of dioxins and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) and breast cancer risk in 9 European countries.

Selenium has been suggested to be protective regarding breast cancer risk but no overall effect has been established. Genetics may modify the effect. This study compares the effect of selenium exposure on breast cancer risk between women with different alleles in single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The Malmö Cancer and Diet Study, a cohort including 17,035 women and >25 years of follow-up on breast cancer diagnosis, was used. Five promising SNPs regarding interaction with selenium exposure were selected from the literature: rs1050450, rs4880, rs3877899, rs7579, and rs71304. Selenium exposure was assessed in three ways: genetically elevated (n = 16,429), dietary intake (n = 15,891) and serum levels (n = 2037) at baseline. Cox regression and logistic regression analyses evaluated breast cancer risk from selenium exposure, stratified for the SNPs and adjusted for risk factors. A total of 1946 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Women with T/T alleles in rs1050450 had lower breast cancer risk compared with C/C, HR 0.81 (0.68–0.96). Interaction by rs1050450 limited a protective effect of higher selenium intake to T/T carriers, HR 0.68 (0.43–1.08) for intermediate intake and HR 0.63 (0.40–1.00) for high intake. No interactions or risk differences were seen for other SNPs or for serum selenium or genetically elevated selenium. The results indicate that genetic variation in rs1050450 might affect breast cancer risk and that selenium exposure could be a possible modifiable risk factor for breast cancer among women with that variation.

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/4/826/pdf?version=1645001299

Genetic Variation Interacts with Selenium Exposure Regarding Breast Cancer Risk: Assessing Dietary Intake, Serum Levels and Genetically Elevated Selenium Levels

S1964 Metabolic Factors and the Risk for Adenocarcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagus. A Prospective Analysis of 570,000 Subjects Within the Metabolic Syndrome and Cancer Project (Me-Can)

The World Cancer Research Fund International has concluded strong evidence for that high intake of dairy products and foods containing dietary fiber and low intake of processed meat are associated with decreased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). As food items are consumed together, it is important to study dietary patterns. The aim of the present study was to examine the association between an a priori constructed dietary index and incident CRC and between intake of processed meat, fiber, and dairy products and CRC. In the Malmo Diet and Cancer study cohort, 923 cases of CRC were identified, during 502 136 person-years of follow-up. A Colorectal Diet Quality Index (CDQI) was constructed regarding intakes of processed meat, fiber, and dairy products in relation to CRC. Higher index indicated a higher dietary quality. Higher CDQI was associated with lower risk of CRC [hazard ratios (HR): 0.57 for highest compared with lowest quintile; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.43, 0.75; P<0.001]. Intake of dairy products was inversely associated with risk of CRC [HR for highest vs. lowest quintile was 0.77 (CI: 0.62, 0.96); P = 0.008], as was dietary fiber [HR for highest vs. lowest quintile was 0.77 (CI: 0.61, 0.98); P = 0.043]. High intake of processed meat was associated with CRC [HR for highest vs. lowest quintile was 1.31; CI: 1.05, 1.63; P = 0.012]. High adherence to a predefined CRC-specific diet quality index was inversely associated with the risk of CRC and gave a stronger association with CRC, than when analyzing the components of the CDQI individually.

Jonas Manjer

Papers

Smoking and Breast Cancer

Dietary intakes of dioxins and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) and breast cancer risk in 9 European countries.

Genetic Variation Interacts with Selenium Exposure Regarding Breast Cancer Risk: Assessing Dietary Intake, Serum Levels and Genetically Elevated Selenium Levels

S1964 Metabolic Factors and the Risk for Adenocarcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagus. A Prospective Analysis of 570,000 Subjects Within the Metabolic Syndrome and Cancer Project (Me-Can)

A colorectal cancer diet quality index is inversely associated with colorectal cancer in the Malmö diet and cancer study.