Commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide

Overall, cancers of the lung, breast, bowel, stomach and prostate account for almost half of all cancer diagnosed worldwide. However, the types of cancer being diagnosed vary enormously across the world. The map below provides data on the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the different regions of the world. You can download the data in an excel spreadsheet, or order a full colour A1 wall map for just £10.

Map: The most commonly diagnosed cancers in the different regions of the world, 2002 estimates

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Lung cancer

Each year approximately 1.4 million people are diagnosed with lung cancer and it accounts for 12% of all cases ( Figure 4.11).

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Since 1975 the number of people being diagnosed with lung cancer worldwide has doubled ( Figure 4.21-5), it is now the most common cancer.

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Lung cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer accounting 18% of all deaths from cancer ( Figure 4.31).

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The incidence rate for male lung cancer varies by twelve fold between the different regions of the world, while the female rate varies by more than thirty fold. Five-year survival rates for lung cancer are consistently poor at between 7-14% 6 so mortality patterns follow incidence patterns closely. The most important cause of lung cancer is tobacco smoking, and incidence rates closely reflect the history of tobacco smoking. For more information and statistics see our section on lung cancer.

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Breast cancer

One in ten of all new cancers diagnosed and almost one in four cancers diagnosed in women worldwide is a cancer of the female breast ( Figure Three1). More than 1.1 million women are diagnosed each year and the numbers of women being diagnosed annually worldwide has almost doubled since 1975 ( Figure Four1-5). Incidence rates of breast cancer are increasing in most countries, and the changes are usually greatest in areas where rates were previously low. Breast cancer is the main cause of death from cancer in women globally 1( Figure Five1). For more information and statistics see our section on breast cancer.

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Bowel cancer

Each year an estimated one million people are diagnosed with bowel cancer and it accounts for 9% of all cases ( Figure Three 1). There have been steady increases worldwide in the numbers of people being diagnosed with bowel cancer over the last 25 years ( Figure Four1-5). Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cause of death from cancer worldwide accounting for 8% of deaths from cancer ( Figure Five1). For more information and statistics see our section on bowel cancer.

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Stomach cancer

In the mid 1970s stomach cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide ( Figure Four1-5), but falls in incidence in the West mean that it is now ranks fourth, accounting for around 9% of all new cases ( Figure Three 1). For more information and statistics see our section on stomach cancer.

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Prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide ( Figure Three 1) and there have been large increases in the incidence of prostate cancer over the last 25 years ( Figure Four1-5). For more information and statistics see our section on prostate cancer.

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This site also includes international data for the following types of cancer:

• Liver cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Oesophageal cancer
• Oral cancer

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