Just 35 days into 2024, cancer has killed not less than 778,625 people globally.
This was revealed on Sunday (today) by Worldometer, a live world statistics on population, government and economics, society and media, environment, food, water, energy, and health.
As of the time of filing this report, no less than 13,691 deaths caused by cancer have been recorded globally today, according to Worldometer’s statistics which change virtually every second.
The data on cancer mortality displayed on Worldometer is based on the latest statistics published by the World Health Organisation.
“In 2005, 7.6 million people died of cancer out of 58 million deaths worldwide,” it said.
Worldometer is run by an international team of developers, researchers, and volunteers to make world statistics available in a thought-provoking and time-relevant format to a wide audience around the world.
Its owner, Dadax, an independent company, says it has no political, governmental, or corporate affiliation.
Dadax says the data on cancer mortality displayed on Worldometer is based on the latest statistics published by the World Health Organisation.
Cancer is a large group of diseases that can start in almost any organ or tissue of the body when abnormal cells grow uncontrollably, go beyond their usual boundaries to invade adjoining parts of the body, and/or spread to other organs.
According to the World Health Organisation, cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for an estimated 9.6 million deaths, or one in six deaths, in 2018.
Lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach, and liver cancer are the most common types of cancer in men, while breast, colorectal, lung, cervical, and thyroid cancer are the most common among women.
Last Thursday, the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer said the number of new cancer cases will rise to 35 million in 2050.
The increase, WHO said is 77 percent higher than the figure in 2022.
In Africa, approximately 882,882 new cancer cases occurred in the WHO African Region with around 573,653 deaths in 2022.
If urgent measures are not taken, cancer mortality in the region is projected to reach about one million deaths per year by 2030, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti.
On February 4th of every year, the world unites to raise awareness on cancer issues. Between 2022 and 2024, the focus of World Cancer Day is to help “Close the cancer gap.” 2024 marks the third and final year of the campaign. This year’s theme, “Together, we challenge those in power,” encompasses the global demand for leaders to prioritise and invest in cancer prevention and care and to do more to achieve a just and cancer-free world.
Dr. Moeti said leaders are responsible for ensuring that cancer prevention and care deploy technologies and therapies that are available at low cost to affected persons and their families, which are value for money.
“Furthermore, countries should strengthen information systems to gather quality data for decision-making.
“We reiterate that civil society, especially organisations of cancer survivors or persons with lived cancer experiences, are critical in the fight against cancer in Africa. Such a whole-of-society approach to cancer prevention and care is the essence of this year’s World Cancer Day theme.
“Together, we challenge those in power to go the extra mile for a cancer-free Africa,” she said.