Med Headlines - The American Cancer Society just announced it expects 20,000 people will die from cancer for every day of the year, or 7 million deaths globally, before the close of 2007. The total number of cancer diagnoses expected to be meted out for the year tops 12 million.  Using data gleaned from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the American Cancer Society has just released these statistics in its “Global Cancer Facts & Figures,” a report recently published for the first time.While cancer is found in all societies of the world, the report cites a marked gap in cancer survival rates for people in countries that have achieved stable levels of economic development versus those in countries still undergoing development.

Using female breast cancer patients as an example, 81% of women in the US survive longer than five years after diagnosis. Women in sub-Saharan Africa, however, see the five-year survival mark only 32% of the time. Cutting-edge treatment options and early detection are thought to be the reasons behind the high rate of survival in US women.

Reasons suggested for the survival rate gap include infection rates, access to medical care, and lifestyle behaviors. Infection is related to cancers of the cervix and stomach, both three times more prevalent in underdeveloped nations.

Speaking on behalf of the American Cancer Society, epidemiologist Ahmedin Jemal, MD, describes growing rates of cancer in countries where the level of economic development generates enough wealth that people can afford to alter their daily habits to mimic a western lifestyle. Problems within that western lifestyle known to increase the incidence of cancer include cigarette smoking, a diet high in saturated fats and other foods dense in caloric value, and reduced levels of physical activity.

When nonmelanoma skin cancers are excluded, the top three cancers diagnosed in men are lung, prostate, and stomach cancers. The three cancers that cause the most deaths in men are lung, stomach, and liver cancers.

In women, the top three cancers diagnosed are breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers, with breast, lung, and cervical cancers causing the most deaths.