The American Cancer Society and The Lancet have published worrying papers about the advance of cancers affecting women around the world.
Two reports warn of the explosion of women's cancer deaths, including breast cancer, in the next 15 years. Researchers at the American Cancer Society (ACS) report a death toll of approximately 5.5 million people each year by 2030, a 60% increase. According to data published by The Lancet, the number of cases of breast cancer could almost double to 3.2 million per year, while cervical cancer could increase by at least 25% in the Same period.
The ACS recalls that cancer is the second leading cause of death in women after cardiovascular disease, and breast cancer is the most deadly. The expected increase is related to the aging of the population, but also to rising risk factors such as physical inactivity, poor diet, obesity and having children later and later.
Prevent and educate
And if Western countries benefit from research aid and adapted medical care, others do not have that chance: nine out of ten deaths from cervical cancer take place in the poorest countries . And most of the 3.5 million women who died of cancer in 2012 lived in these countries. "The world community can not continue to ignore the problem, hundreds of thousands of women die unnecessarily every year," says Richard Sullivan, co-author of The Lancet's report, quoted by Le Monde.
By multiplying prevention and education efforts, we can fight this trend, say the authors of the two reports. A large proportion of lung and cervical cancer deaths can be prevented by implementing tobacco control strategies and by promoting vaccination and screening. Researchers are appealing to invest in these issues in countries that need them most.