Do you want to take a guess at how many worldwide cases of cancer there were in 2012? The World Cancer Research Fund International estimates the total number of cancer cases was 14.1 million—7.4 million cases were in men and 6.7 million cases were in women.
Lung cancer was the overall leader, contributing 13 percent of all new diagnoses. Breast cancer was next, affecting 1.7 million individuals. Colon cancer came in as a close third, with 1.4 million new cases. Of all the types of cancer, there were eight cancers that comprised 60 percent of all cases and deaths:
- Breast
- Prostate
- Colorectal
- Lung
- Esophageal
- Stomach
- Liver
- Cervical
Some of the most interesting information that was obtained through this study was that cancer incidence and mortality has decreased in high-income countries but has risen in lower and middle-income countries. This may be due to many factors such as lifestyle changes and lack of screening and prevention.
Cancer can be hereditary, but there are several lifestyle changes that can be made to lower your risk for developing cancer. When considering colon cancer, there are daily choices that you can control to lower your risk. These include getting regular exercise, eating a high fiber/low fat diet, quitting smoking, limiting alcohol intake, and staying current with well visits. While preventing colon cancer, these choices are also going to help you keep a moderate weight and prevent other life-threatening conditions like hypertension, diabetes and other types of cancers.
By the year 2035, it is estimated that there will be 24 million cases of cancer. You do not have to be part of this statistic, though. Make an appointment with your doctor for an annual check-up for an overall health assessment and set some goals to improve your health in 2016. Let’s turn this prediction on its head, one healthy choice at a time (Source: Medical News Today).