Global cancer cases ‘continue to rise’

The number of cancer cases around the world are set to continue to rise over the coming decade, according to a new report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Its Globocan database examined 28 types of cancer across 184 countries, showing there were 14.1 million new cancer cases in 2012, compared with 12.7 million in 2008. If this rate of increase is maintained, there will be 19.3 million per year by 2025.

The research also showed that 8.2 million cancer-related deaths were recorded last year, compared with 7.6 million five years ago. Age is the biggest risk factor for cancer and the prevalence of the disease is rising as people around the world are living longer.

Dr David Forman, head of the IARC section of cancer information, noted that breast cancer has become a major threat in developing nations, saying: "This is partly because a shift in lifestyles is causing an increase in incidence, and partly because clinical advances to combat the disease are not reaching women living in these regions."

This comes after data from the Eurocare-5 study published in The Lancet Oncology earlier this month showed cancer survival has continued to improve in England over the last decade, though progress still needs to be made.