GENEVA (Reuters) – Breast cancer has overtaken lung cancer as the most common form of the disease, accounting for almost 12% of new cases each year worldwide, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.
“For the first time, breast cancer is now the most common cancer worldwide,” said Andre Ilbawi, a cancer specialist at the WHO, at a UN meeting ahead of World Cancer Day on Thursday.
Lung cancer has been the most common type in the past two decades, but is now in second place, ahead of colorectal cancer, which is the third most common, said Ilbawi.
It is estimated that 2.3 million new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed last year, representing 11.7% of all cancer cases, the WHO said in a statement. “Among women, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death worldwide,” the document said.
Ilbawi noted that obesity in women is a common risk factor for breast cancer and is also driving overall cancer numbers.
As the global population grows and life expectancy increases, cancer is expected to become more common, rising to about 30 million new cases per year in 2040 from 19.3 million in 2020, said Ilbawi.
The WHO, warning against risk factors, said that about a third of cancer deaths are due to tobacco use, high body mass index, low consumption of fruits and vegetables, lack of physical activity and alcohol use.
The coronavirus pandemic is disrupting cancer treatment in about half of the countries surveyed, said Ilbawi, pointing to delays in diagnosis, health professionals under extreme stress and impact on research.
(Reporting by Emma Thomasson and Stephanie Nebehay; editing by Alexandra Hudson)