Reference News Network reported on February 8 that the World Health Organization said that in 2012, the number of new cancer cases and deaths around the world had increased dramatically, and China was the first to bear the brunt. In terms of liver cancer, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, and lung cancer, China has the same number of new cases and deaths.

131021-1 According to a report on the Hong Kong South China Morning Post website on February 7, the latest World Cancer Report stated that developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America are most affected by cancer. Overall, there were 14 million new cancer cases worldwide in 2012, and 8.2 million cancer deaths.

According to the report, there are 3.07 million newly diagnosed cancer cases in China, accounting for 21.8% of the global total. The number of cancer deaths is approximately 2.2 million, accounting for 26.9% of the global cancer deaths.

The report pointed out that these figures are slightly lower than China's own statistics in 2012. According to Chinese media reports, the National Cancer Registry records 3.5 million new cases each year and 2.5 million deaths.

According to the report, as far as 2012 is concerned, China is not the country with the highest cancer rate. The top five countries are Denmark, France, Australia, Belgium and Norway. According to the statistics of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, China's cancer mortality rate is not the highest. The top five countries are Mongolia, Hungary, Armenia, Serbia and Uruguay.

The report pointed out that the reasons for this problem include insufficient cancer diagnosis methods in underdeveloped countries and limited treatment capabilities.

The report pointed out that from a global perspective, the cancer with the highest incidence is now lung cancer. In 2012, there were 1.8 million new lung cancer cases and 1.59 million deaths, of which more than one-third occurred in China.

Zhi Xiuyi, director of the Lung Cancer Clinic of Beijing Capital Medical University, said that smoking, long-term exposure to air pollution and exposure to carcinogens in the workplace are the main reasons for the increased risk of lung cancer.

According to reports, among other cancers, about 50% of new liver cancer and esophageal cancer cases worldwide occurred in China. China accounts for approximately 51% and 49% of deaths from liver cancer and esophageal cancer, respectively. In 2012, China’s newly diagnosed gastric cancer cases and deaths from gastric cancer also accounted for more than 40% of the world’s total.

Zhi Xiuyi said that lung cancer, esophageal cancer and gastric cancer are the three most common cancers in Chinese. He said: "Although these figures are worrying, they are not a new trend. The current priority is to clarify certain misunderstandings about cancer, such as the belief that cancer is incurable."

Zhi Xiuyi also said that such fears have prevented public discussion about cancer. The resulting situation is that the lack of adequate medical knowledge makes it difficult to detect cancer early.