Fact or fiction?

• About 70% of all cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
• Nearly 30% of cancer deaths could be prevented.
• Many cancers (such as breast, cervical and colorectal cancer) can be cured, if detected early and treated adequately.
• Cancers are killing more people in developing countries than HIV & AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.

Answer? Fact. All of them are true [7].

Cancer is not only a disease of wealthy and elderly nations. The cancer burden on low- and middle-income countries is vast---and cancer deaths are projected to continue rising, with an estimated 13.1 million deaths in 2030. Living in poverty increases the risk of developing cancer, and dramatically reduces the odds of being treated [8]. For example, 90% of child leukemia patients in the United States survive—but in developing countries, the opposite is true: nearly 90% die.