by Ihor Cap
The World Health Organization Update for February 2017 tells us that cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide and was responsible for almost 14 million new deaths in 2012. That's every sixth person globally. The economic impact of cancer is huge as well. It was estimated to cost some US$ 1.16 trillion in 2010 alone.
The most common cancers in 2012 reported by CDC - Global Cancer Statistics for both sexes worldwide were:
1. Lung cancer (19% of all cancer deaths)
2. Liver cancer (9% of all cancer deaths)
3. Stomach cancer (9% of all cancer deaths)
4. Colorectal cancer (9% of all cancer deaths)
5. Breast cancer (6% of all cancer deaths)
6. Cancer of the esophagus (5% of all cancers diagnosed)
7. Cancer of the pancreas (5% of all cancers diagnosed), and
8. Other (39%).
Data Source: GLOBOCAN 2012: Estimated Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence Worldwide in 2012.
The total cancer burden is highest in the affluent societies of the western world and is mostly due to tumors related to smoking and an unhealthy lifestyle, says the June 2003 World Cancer Report. However, certain types of cancer like breast cancer for women have been decreasing in some Western countries since 1989 due to advances in treatment, earlier detection, and increased awareness. Paralleling this development is a decline in prostate cancer in men, also due to better detection methods, and other medical advances.
General cancer death rates may be declining around the world but other specific incidence and death rates like melanoma skin cancer are on the rise. Countries like Saint Lucia (+5.02%), Rwanda (+5.86%), Burundi (+7.08 %), and South Africa (+9.92) were unable to sustain their momentum to decrease cancer deaths in the last 5-year study period in spite of their overall 25-year positive performance. Cancer deaths have resumed their climb upwards for these countries between 2010 and 2015, but most countries on the top 100 list continue to experience a decrease in cancer death rates.
HealthGrove by Graphiq publishes some of the deepest insights into these trends worldwide and they have noticed an all-encompassing decline in age-standardized cancer deaths throughout the whole world. They ranked 100 countries from 1 (highest percentage change) to 100 (lowest percentage change), adjusting for the age and both sexes combined, to determine which countries are experiencing a greater decline in cancer deaths in the year 2015 compared to the year 1990, as well as from 2010 to 2015. Consult the table below to see which countries on the list are faring better than others. The countries with the highest declines in cancer deaths are ranked higher up in the table with the most favorable one listed as #1, and countries experiencing lower declines in cancer deaths are ranked further down the table with the lowest declines ending in #100. See where your country is on this list.
Table of Rankings of Top 100 Countries Experiencing a Decline in Cancer Deaths
| RANK # | COUNTRY | 1990-2015 25-year Percent Change in Cancer Death Rate | 2010-2015 5-year Percent Change in Cancer Death Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maldives | -42.33 percent | -0.29 percent |
| 2 | Turkey | -36.21 percent | -1.27 percent |
| 3 | Bahrain | -34.27 percent | -1.89 percent |
| 4 | Luxembourg | -32.23 percent | -6.62 percent |
| 5 | Turkmenistan | -30.94 percent | -6.23 percent |
| 6 | Ethiopia | -30.51 percent | +1.08 percent |
| 7 | Uzbekistan | -29.34 percent | -3.54 percent |
| 8 | Tajikistan | -29.25 percent | -7.93 percent |
| 9 | Singapore | -28.71 percent | -2.32 percent |
| 10 | Burundi | -28.11 percent | +7.08 percent |
| 11 | Czech Republic | -27.05 percent | -7.81 percent |
| 12 | Zimbabwe | -26.86 percent | -15.6 percent |
| 13 | Iceland | -24.75 percent | -4.14 percent |
| 14 | Belgium | -23.74 percent | -2.36 percent |
| 15 | China | -23.71 percent | -11.12 percent |
| 16 | Kyrgyzstan | -22.66 percent | -5.35 percent |
| 17 | Azerbaijan | -22.42 percent | -10.52 percent |
| 18 | Slovenia | -21.36 percent | -11.63 percent |
| 19 | Austria | -21.24 percent | -1.65 percent |
| 20 | Moldova | -21.19 percent | -15.1 percent |
| 21 | Germany | -20.83 percent | -2.12 percent |
| 22 | Italy | -20.1 percent | -1.45 percent |
| 23 | Switzerland | -19.53 percent | -4.55 percent |
| 24 | Ukraine | -19.33 percent | -2.58 percent |
| 25 | Peru | -19.25 percent | -3.08 percent |
| 26 | New Zealand | -19.1 percent | -3.66 percent |
| 27 | United Kingdom | -19.08 percent | -3.48 percent |
| 28 | South Korea | -18.97 percent | -2.53 percent |
| 29 | Rwanda | -18.93 percent | +5.86 percent |
| 30 | Equatorial Guinea | -18.9 percent | -1.38 percent |
| 31 | Netherlands | -18.61 percent | -6.01 percent |
| 32 | Colombia | -18.59 percent | -6.78 percent |
| 33 | Algeria | -18.59 percent | -0.52 percent |
| 34 | United States | -18.35 percent | -0.25 percent |
| 35 | Finland | -17.86 percent | -3.92 percent |
| 36 | The Bahamas | -17.81 percent | +1.09 percent |
| 37 | Kazakhstan | -17.77 percent | -3.49 percent |
| 38 | Chile | -17.43 percent | -2.54 percent |
| 39 | Jordan | -17.3 percent | -3.82 percent |
| 40 | Bolivia | -17.27 percent | -0.55 percent |
| 41 | Slovakia | -16.94 percent | -8.66 percent |
| 42 | Hungary | -16.49 percent | -13.11 percent |
| 43 | Mauritania | -16.42 percent | +3.86 percent |
| 44 | Bhutan | -16.33 percent | +2.78 percent |
| 45 | Malta | -16.17 percent | -2.22 percent |
| 46 | Namibia | -16.14 percent | -5.11 percent |
| 47 | Estonia | -16.12 percent | -6.44 percent |
| 48 | Russia | -15.88 percent | -7.09 percent |
| 49 | Australia | -15.73 percent | -0.99 percent |
| 50 | Congo | -15.58 percent | +2.59 percent |
| 51 | Denmark | -15.31 percent | -4.03 percent |
| 52 | Cyprus | -15.24 percent | -10.2 percent |
| 53 | Portugal | -15.22 percent | -5.77 percent |
| 54 | Nigeria | -15.18 percent | +1.09 percent |
| 55 | Israel | -14.91 percent | -0.03 percent |
| 56 | Canada | -14.9 percent | -1.57 percent |
| 57 | Laos | -14.76 percent | -3.05 percent |
| 58 | Japan | -14.7 percent | -2.46 percent |
| 59 | Panama | -13.64 percent | -1.06 percent |
| 60 | Costa Rica | -13.58 percent | -0.01 percent |
| 61 | France | -13.55 percent | -1.75 percent |
| 62 | Gabon | -13.51 percent | +4.25 percent |
| 63 | Comoros | -13.16 percent | +5.02 percent |
| 64 | Mali | -13.09 percent | +3.94 percent |
| 65 | Sweden | -12.94 percent | -2.36 percent |
| 66 | Spain | -12.75 percent | -5.28 percent |
| 67 | The Gambia | -12.38 percent | -1.89 percent |
| 68 | Ghana | -12.3 percent | +4.03 percent |
| 69 | Timor-Leste | -12.12 percent | 0.59 percent |
| 70 | Lebanon | -11.67 percent | -3.93 percent |
| 71 | Haiti | -11.56 percent | -0.59 percent |
| 72 | United Arab Emirates | -11.35 percent | -1.06 percent |
| 73 | Poland | -11.28 percent | -6.82 percent |
| 74 | Samoa | -10.61 percent | -1.45 percent |
| 75 | Myanmar | -10.54 percent | -2.53 percent |
| 76 | Ireland | -10.45 percent | -3.98 percent |
| 77 | Andorra | -10.34 percent | +1.58 percent |
| 78 | Lithuania | -10.26 percent | -6.81 percent |
| 79 | Norway | -10.23 percent | -5.33 percent |
| 80 | Croatia | -10.09 percent | -4.73 percent |
| 81 | South Africa | -9.89 percent | +9.92 percent |
| 82 | Tunisia | -9.53 percent | +1.69 percent |
| 83 | India | -9.52 percent | -1.01 percent |
| 84 | Argentina | -9.4 percent | -0.38 percent |
| 85 | Trinidad and Tobago | -9.31 percent | -0.52 percent |
| 86 | Nepal | -9.24 percent | +1.7 percent |
| 87 | Bangladesh | -9.13 percent | +1.56 percent |
| 88 | Qatar | -8.99 percent | +1.05 percent |
| 89 | Sudan | -8.75 percent | -0.48 percent |
| 90 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | -8.49 percent | -3.47 percent |
| 91 | Uruguay | -8.01 percent | -0.09 percent |
| 92 | Sri Lanka | -7.98 percent | -8.54 percent |
| 93 | Montenegro | -7.47 percent | -1.76 percent |
| 94 | Greece | -7.31 percent | -2.78 percent |
| 95 | Saint Lucia | -6.95 percent | +5.02 percent |
| 96 | Mauritius | -6.79 percent | -1.9 percent |
| 97 | Iran | -6.61 percent | -1.73 percent |
| 98 | Morocco | -6.57 percent | + 0.77 percent |
| 99 | Brazil | -6.46 percent | +0.67 percent |
| 100 | Brunei | -6.3 percent | +1.77 percent |
Dr. Ihor Cap is an Education Research Specialist and a Web Author.
