Shocking cancer facts and statistics

Lung cancer, cervical cancer, and oesophageal cancer are the three deadliest cancers in South Africa, and accounted for 19 160 deaths in 2015, according to a new analysis of 32 cancer groups in 195 countries or territories.

In 2015, there were 114 091 new cancer cases in South Africa and 58 237 deaths in total. Globally, cancer is the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease, but the chances of getting cancer and dying from it are radically different, depending on where you live.

“The disease burden of cancer is growing in South Africa, and health infrastructure and resource allocation will not be capable of dealing with it unless substantial changes are made and more dedicated funding is realised,” said Professor Benn Sartorius, the co-author of the study, who is based in Public Health Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and is also a steering member of the SA MRC/UKZN Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Centre.

“Initiatives such as the Global Burden of Disease Study allow us to track cancer trends in a timely fashion. This will continue to assist countries such as South Africa with regard to cancer burden tracking and planning as we move toward the Sustainable Development Goals of 2030,” said Professor Sartorius.

The most marked increase in cancer cases between 2005 and 2015 occurred in countries of the lowest development status, where the number of new cases increased by 50 per cent. Authors of the study grouped countries based on their socio-demographic index (SDI) – a combined measure of education, income and fertility. New cancer cases in the highest socio-demographic index group – including countries like the United States and Japan – grew by 36 per cent over the same period.

In addition, cancer mortality decreased in many nations over the past decade, but increased in more than 50 countries, most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. These countries include Niger, Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, and Senegal, where the health services needed to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer are often missing.

In 2015, there were 17,5 million new cancer cases worldwide and 8,7 million deaths. The disease burden of cancer remains heaviest for countries with the highest levels of development, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Globally, 44 per cent of all new cancer cases and 34 per cent of all cancer deaths are in this highest development group.

New cases of cancer increased globally by 33 per cent between 2005 and 2015. The most common forms of cancer globally are: breast cancer, lung cancer, and colo-rectal cancer. Lung and colo-rectal cancers top the list of those causing the greatest number of deaths, followed by stomach and liver cancers.

In South Africa,breast cancer is the most common cancer for women, but cervical cancer is the deadliest, with 5 406 female deaths in 2015. Other top cancer causes of death for women were breast, lung, and colo-rectal cancers. For men, prostate cancer resulted in the highest number of new cases, but lung cancer was the number one killer, causing 5 726 male deaths. Prostate, oesophageal, colo-rectal, and liver cancers were the other leading causes of cancer death for South African men.

Death rates per 100 000 people are rising for the top 10 causes of cancer death in South Africa, with the exception of oesophageal and stomach cancer. The most marked increases were displayed by colo-rectal cancer, with a death rate that rose 31 per cent between 1990 and 2015. Breast cancer cases increased by 35 per cent, ovarian cancer cases are up by 41 per cent; and the death rate from prostate cancer increased by 45 per cent.

Diverse types of cancer also afflict countries very differently. For example, cervical cancer was ranked the 20th leading cause of death in the United States in 2015; in neighboring Mexico, however, cervical cancer was ranked significantly higher at number eight, with twice the mortality rate. In South Africa, a significantly lower-resource setting, cervical cancer was the second leading cancer killer, claiming the lives of 5 400 women in 2015.

The authors of the study have called on government agencies and the private sector to expand prevention efforts, especially in lower SDI countries where several of the deadliest cancers, such as cervical and liver cancer, are also the most preventable. For example, viruses that are preventable but cause chronic hepatitis B and C are responsible for the majority of liver cancer deaths. However, in low-SDI countries where childhood immunisation against hepatitis B is not universal, the incidence of liver cancer has increased since 2010. Countries where liver cancer tops the list of top cancer killers include Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, and Thailand.

“The cancer divide is real and growing,” said lead author, Christina Fitzmaurice, assistant professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. “The number of new cancer cases is climbing almost everywhere in the world, putting an increasing strain on even the most advanced health systems. But the most rapid and troubling escalation can be seen in countries of lower development status, which can ill afford it.”

The report, contained in a study by the Global Burden of Disease collaboration, an international consortium of 2 000 researchers in nearly 130 nations led by the IHME, was published in JAMA Oncology.

Leading causes of cancer deaths in South Africa for both sexes, with number of deaths, 2015:

1 – Lung: 8 515

2 – Cervical: 5 406

3 – Esophageal: 5 239

4 – Breast: 5 180

5 – Prostate: 4 638

6 – Colorectal: 4 348

7 – Other neoplasms: 3 120

8 – Liver: 2 726

9 – Pancreatic: 2 708

10 – Stomach: 2 386

View the full study at: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/10.1001/jamaoncol.2016.5688

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