Tobacco Most Avoidable Cause of Cancer
From the office of Dr. Laurence Magne, author of www.cancer-free-for-life.com
While the US recently celebrated the fact that there were approximately 3,000 fewer cancer deaths in 2004 than there were the previous year, the world as a whole is facing a staggering 50 percent increase in cancer incidence and deaths by the year 2020. The World Cancer Report, published by a branch of the World Health Organization, predicts this increase and points out that this massive spike in cancer incidence and deaths will be fueled in large part by preventable factors, such as cigarette smoking, faulty diet and sedentary lifestyles.
In the year 2000, cancer was responsible for 12 per cent of the nearly 56 million deaths worldwide from all causes: 5.3 million men and 4.7 million women developed cancer, and a total of 6.2 million people died from the disease. But, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), huge as this total already is, global cancer rates are set to increase even further.
Tobacco remains the single most important avoidable cancer risk. In the 20th century, tobacco killed approximately 100 million people. It is sobering to realize that this is far more than the 60 million soldiers and civilians who died in World War II plus the 20 million who died in World War I. Tobacco is the single greatest health scourge of humanity.
The IARC emphasizes that a healthy lifestyle and diet can help reduce the cancer burden. In particular, increased exercise and the frequent consumption of fruit and vegetables can make a significant difference. Early detection through screening, particularly for cancer among women, helps improve the outcome of treatment. But the predicted sharp increase in new cases - from 10 million to 15 million by 2020 - will be due not only to the steadily aging populations in both developed and developing countries, but also reflects current trends in smoking and the growing adoption of unhealthy sedentary lifestyles.
The IARC believes there is a strong justification for focusing cancer prevention on two main cancer-causing factors - tobacco and diet, as well as certain infections that cause many cancers in the developing world. These factors were responsible for 43 per cent of all cancer deaths in 2000 (i.e., 2.7 million fatalities), and 40 per cent of all new diagnoses, (i.e., 4 million new cancer cases).
IARC is also preparing a Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. This strategy will contain recommendations for governments on nutrition and physical activity goals and population-based interventions to reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases including cancer.
However, the report underestimates the difficulty of reducing global tobacco consumption in the face of the aggressive tactics used by transnational corporations to foster tobacco use, especially in the developing world.
Tobacco is the most avoidable cancer risk. Fifty percent of smokers are killed by their habit. Twenty five percent of smokers will die prematurely during middle age (35 to 69 years). The lung cancer risk for regular smokers is between 20- and 30-fold greater than that for non-smokers. Roughly 80 per cent of lung cancers in both men and women are attributable to cigarette smoking. More than 50 percent of cancers of the bladder and renal pelvis are caused by smoking, and smokers are also at elevated risk for many other malignancies, including pancreatic and colon cancer.
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