Other cancers

Cancers of the lip and oral cavity account for 2% of the cancer burden worldwide (an estimated 263,000 cases in 2008), but they are the second most common cancer in males and the fourth most common cancer in females in South-Central Asia, accounting for 7% of the total cancers diagnosed in this region in 2008.1 Tobacco and betel chewing explains the high incidence in some developing countries, whereas tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption are the major causes of oral cancer in developed countries.2-5

section updated 19/09/11

Less than 2% of all cancers worldwide are malignant melanomas (an estimated 200,000 cases in 2008).1 The majority of malignant melanomas are caused by heavy sun exposure in white-skinned populations.2,6 Incidence rates are highest by far in Australia/New Zealand (37 per 100,000 in 2008), where it is the third most common cancer in both males and females, accounting for one in nine (11% in 2008) of the total cases.1 Rates are increasing rapidly in Nordic populations, attributed to increased sun exposure during holidays at lower latitudes.2

section updated 19/09/11

Kaposi sarcoma is an extremely rare form of cancer in most regions of the world, but it is one of the most common in Sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 34,500 cases were diagnosed in 2008.1 There are four subtypes of Kaposi sarcoma, all of which are caused by infection with Human herpesvirus-8. The most common subtype, called epidemic or AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma, develops in people who are infected with the Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) - the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Kaposi sarcoma was a rare cancer until the 1980s, when the advent of AIDS saw incidence rates increase dramatically around the world.2 The introduction of highly active anti-retroviral therapy for HIV in the 1990s led to a sharp decline in incidence in the developed world, but Kaposi sarcoma still remains an extremely common cancer among AIDS patients in Sub-Saharan Africa.1,2,7

section updated 19/09/11