Rohit Shishodia

The world faced one of the toughest health challenges, posed by the Covid pandemic, in the year 2020. However, the tragedy and impact of another disease -- cancer -- drew little notice but continued to remain the deadliest.

Alarmingly, different types of cancers have killed 9958133 people in the year 2020 across the globe. The year is yet to end and the number of deaths will increase by December 31, 2020

Data released by the Global Cancer Observatory (GCO) of the World Health Organization has revealed that lung cancer is the leading cause of all cancer deaths globally. Lung cancer accounts for 18% of all cancer deaths worldwide.

In 2020 alone, this cancer has so far killed 1796144 people of all ages. The next most deadly, colorectal cancer, has killed 935173 people across the globe in 2020, translating into 9.4% of all cancer deaths.

Then come liver cancer deaths -- 830180 -- translating into 8.3% of cancer deaths in 2020. Stomach cancer has killed 768793 (7.7%) individuals, while breast cancer claimed 648996 (6.96%) people’s lives so far in 2020.

544076 (5.5%) people succumbed to oesophagus cancer while pancreas cancer killed 466003 (4.7%) people. Prostate cancer killed 375304 (3.8%) people.

Other cancers have killed 3557464 (35.7%) people worldwide.  

Dr Ravi Mehrotra, CEO, India Cancer Research Consortium of ICMR, Delhi, says that worldwide, lung cancer predominates and is largely tobacco related. However, in many low-middle income countries including India, breast cancer still rules as the most prevalent malignancy, he points out.