Specialists of the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) research program analyzed data on the spread of 29 types of cancer in 195 countries around the world. Researchers studied data on mortality from different types of cancer, the life span after diagnosis and the number of years that the patient loses due to illness.

In a new work, oncologists sum up the results of 2016. This year, there were 17.2 million new cases of cancer in the world and 8.9 million deaths due to cancer. Since 2006, the number of cases detected increased by 28%. Most often, patients died from diseases of the respiratory system - lung cancer, bronchus or trachea. Their victims were 1.7 million people. Analysis of data related to the sex of patients showed: men most often face prostate cancer, women with breast cancer.

The authors of the study explain: the growth of cancer incidence rates is largely related to demographic aging, an increase in the proportion of older people among the population of many countries. Age is one of the key risk factors for cancer. In addition, the methods of diagnosing the disease are actively developing, they help to detect cancer more effectively, therefore the number of cases detected increases. Another two culprits for the spread of diseases - smoking and malnutrition, including abuse of semi-finished products. This is especially true for developing countries - while scientists note that the number of new cases of cancer in these countries is growing particularly rapidly.

Certain risk factors are associated with specific forms of cancer. For example, a sedentary lifestyle and excessive consumption of alcohol increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer, and smoking and air pollution are associated with the spread of lung cancer. Scientists point out that administrative measures will help reduce the incidence, including restricting the sale of tobacco and disseminating information about healthy eating.

Source: Naked-science.