The World Health Organization has warned that immediate action is required to combat a tidal wave of cancer that will sweep the globe in the next 20 years. The number of new cancer cases worldwide in a single year will rise by 70 percent from 14.1 million in 2012 to 24 million in 2035.

The future global burden of cancer will increasingly shift to poorer countries but half of all world cancers are now preventable with the existing medical knowledge and expertise. Annual deaths from cancer will almost double in the same time period from 8.2 million to 14.6 million. Dr. Bernad Stewart from the University of New South Wales in Australia has said that modifications to human behavior, such as reducing alcohol consumption, would play a crucial role in combating the tidal wave of cancer which we see coming across the world.

Smoking is responsible for around 20 percent of all cancers globally and lung cancers are the most common form of cancers in the world, accounting for 13 percent of all cases and 19 percent of all cancer deaths. According to experts, the rise of cancer worldwide is a major obstacle to human development and wellbeing. These new figures and projections send a strong signal that immediate action is needed to confront this human disaster, which touches every community worldwide, without exception.

S.H. Moulana

Riyadh