The Top 5 Most Frequent Cancers in Males Worldwide

  Cancer Type Incidence % of World Total Rate
(per 100,000 persons)
1 Lung cancer 1,095,186 16.5% 34.0
2 Prostate cancer 903,452 13.6% 28.1
3 Colorectum cancer 663,612 10.0% 20.4
4 Stomach cancer 640,556 9.7% 19.8
5 Liver cancer 522,355 7.9% 16.0
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 Special Report
  1. Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. If the spread is not controlled, it can result in death. Cancer is caused by both external factors (tobacco, chemicals, radiation, and infectious organisms) and internal factors (inherited mutations, hormones, immune conditions, and mutations that occur from metabolism). These causal factors may act together or in sequence to initiate or promote carcinogenesis. (a.)
  2. One in eight deaths worldwide is due to cancer. Worldwide, cancer causes more deaths than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in economically developed countries (following heart diseases) and the third leading cause of death in developing countries (following heart diseases and diarrhoeal diseases). The burden of cancer is increasing in developing countries as childhood mortality and deaths from infectious diseases decline and more people live to older ages. Further, as people in developing countries adopt western lifestyle behaviours, such as cigarette smoking, higher consumption of saturated fat and calorie-dense foods, and reduced physical activity, rates of cancers common in western countries will rise if preventive measures are not widely applied. (a.)
  3. It is estimated that there was more than 12 million new cancer cases in 2007 worldwide, of which 5.4 million occurred in economically developed countries and 6.7 million in economically developing countries. The corresponding estimates for total cancer deaths in 2007 were 7.6 million (about 20,000 cancer deaths a day), 2.9 million in economically developed countries and 4.7 million in economically developing countries. By 2050, the global burden is expected to grow to 27 million new cancer cases and 17.5 million cancer deaths simply due to the growth and ageing of the population. (a.)
  4. In economically developed countries, the three most commonly diagnosed cancers are prostate, lung and bronchus, and colorectal among men and breast, colorectal, and lung and bronchus among women. In economically developing countries, the three most commonly diagnosed cancers are lung and bronchus, stomach, and liver in men, and breast, cervix uteri, and stomach in women. In both economically developed and developing countries, the three most common cancer sites are also the three leading causes of cancer death. (a.)
  5. male smokers are about 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers. (a.)
Top 5 facts sources:
  1. The American Cancer Society. (2007). "Global Cancer Facts & Figures 2007" (pages 1-4). Retrieved December 9th, 2010.
Tags: Health Statistics, Top 5 Most, Cancer statistics

Sources:  GLOBOCAN 2008, Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide: IARC CancerBase No. 10 [Internet]. Last accessed by top 5 of Anything: Dec 9th, 2010.

List Notes: List is ranked by number of deaths. Data is estimated for the year 2008 in 182 countries worldwide. Cancer rate is the number of female deaths per 100,000 persons per year and is age-standardized. An age-standardized rate is the rate that a population would have if it had a standard age structure. Standardization is necessary when comparing several populations that differ with respect to age because age has a powerful influence on the risk of cancer. Percentage of total is percentage of global cancer deaths. Data excludes non-melanoma skin cancer.
Most Frequent Cancers in Males Worldwide

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