7.5 million died of cancer in 2015: Report

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide and estimates of its burden around the globe are vital for cancer control planning. 

Among the report’s key findings were: Between 2005 and 2015, cancer cases increased by 33 per cent, mostly due to population aging and growth plus changes in age-specific cancer rates. Globally, the odds of developing cancer during a lifetime were 1 in 3 for men and 1 in 4 for women.

Prostate cancer was the most common cancer globally in men (1 point 6 million cases); tracheal, bronchus and lung (TBL) cancer was the leading cause of cancer deaths for men. Breast cancer was the most common cancer for women and the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. The most common childhood cancers were leukaemia, other neoplasms, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and brain and nervous system cancers.