Those are the words used by the World Health Organisation to describe the trajectory of the growth of new cancer cases. They predict a jump from 14 million a year now to 24 million new cases per year by 2035 – about 2.5% growth a year (compounded). That better be faster than the growth of the population (which needs to shrink drastically).
But the point of the descriptive language is to get attention to the causes which we can influence. The WHO’s World Cancer Report 2014 said the major sources of preventable cancer included:
- Smoking
- Infections
- Alcohol
- Obesity and inactivity
- Radiation, both from the sun and medical scans
- Air pollution and other environmental factors
- Delayed parenthood, having fewer children and not breastfeeding
So, the point is to look after ourselves and live less virtual, more natural lives. Cancer, and other big killers, might be a bit random, but you get more out of life if you can run without wheezing …
Comments