More and more women are dying of cancer, according to the findings of two reports. Cancers would kill 5.5 million women each year in the world in 2030 against 3.5 million in 2012.
the breast cancer would be the most deadly. Indeed, the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer could almost double to reach 3.2 million per year (against 1.7 million / year in recent years).
Sedentary lifestyle, smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, bad eating habits, women are increasingly affected by risk factors for cancer. Cumulated with the increase and aging of the population, the number of cancers is exploding in the female population, according to a American Cancer Society (ACS) analysis released Tuesday at the World Cancer Congress. It would be responsible for the death of 3.5 million women in 2012 (out of more than 8 million deaths in total), mainly in developing countries. But by 2030, researchers estimated that figure would climb to 5.5 million. Breast cancer affects 3.2 million women per year, cervical cancer could increase by at least 25%, to more than 700,000, according to a study published in the medical journal The Lancet.
However, the number of cancer-related deaths can be reduced through prevention and early detection of the disease. “Countries must reduce cancer risk factors and make prevention accessible to all,” recalls the ACS report which concludes that “lung cancer and Cervical cancer concern 20% of cancer deaths in women. This mortality can be reduced through systematic vaccination against papillomaviruses, smoking control and information and screening campaigns ”.
A north-south divide in the face of cancer
Developing countries do not have access to means of prevention, early detection and treatment. In fact, low- and middle-income countries, where 60% of cancer cases are counted, only have 32% of the radiotherapy equipment available.
As a result, nine out of ten cervical cancer deaths occur in developing countries.
“The difference in terms of survival for breast cancer between rich countries (France, Germany, United States ..) and countries like South Africa or India (from more than 80% to 50% approximately ) highlights the “enormous inequalities of access to prevention, early detection and treatment”, recalls the study.
“The global community cannot continue to ignore the problem – hundreds of thousands of women needlessly die each year,” said Richard Sullivan of King’s College London, co-author of The Lancet report.
“Routine vaccination against papillomavirus (HPV) of girls in the poorest countries over the next four years could prevent 600,000 future deaths from Cervical cancer”.
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