Cancer killing 20,000 a day across the world

London, Dec 28 (UNI) Despite modern researches to prevent cancer, the deadly disease continues to spread, killing about 20,000 people everyday across the world this year, recent figures show.

According to the data compiled by the American Cancer Society, by the end of the year, there will have been more than 12 million new cases and 7.6 million deaths from the disease worldwide.

Most cancer cases and deaths (6.7 million and 4.7 million respectively) will have occurred in developing nations, while 5.4 million cases and 2.9 million deaths will have occurred in economically developed countries.

The three most common male cancers in developed countries are prostate, lung and colorectal (bowel), while in women they are breast, colorectal and lung cancer.

In developing countries, the most common forms in men are lung, stomach and liver cancer, and in women breast, cervical and stomach cancer. The figures also showed that one in three people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime.

Scientists are gradually developing a deeper understanding of the causes of cancer, investigating the complex interaction of chemicals, genetics, ageing and diet.

Research has been dominated recently by the discovery of new techniques that involve scouring the whole human genetic code for mutations linked to cancer.

In one investigation, researchers located genes responsible for hereditary mixed polyposis syndrome, a condition that increases bowel cancer risk in Ashkenazi Jews.

Dr Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK's director of cancer information, said the organisation was launching a series of genome-wide studies, including searches for genes that influenced lung and ovarian cancer risk.

He said: ''Discoveries like this will improve our understanding of cancer and help us to develop targeted screening and treatment for people at increased risk of the disease.'' UNI