Prevention and Early Detection of Cancer – A Public Health View

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 12,5% of all deaths every year are caused by cancer (WHO, 2006). This is more than the total percentage of people who die from AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, put together (International Union Against Cancer [UICC], 2007). Frightening fact is that deaths from cancer are projected to steadily rise. From about 7,5 million of cancer deaths, registered in 2005, this number will likely to reach 9 million, in 2015, and about 11,5 million, in 2030 (WHO, 2006). On the other hand, the knowledge about the causes of cancer and interventions to prevent and manage cancer are also growing up very fastly. At the current level of knowledge, it is estimated that up to one third of the cancer burden could be reduced if strictly implemented preventive strategies aimed at reducing the exposure to cancer risks, and another third of this burden could be cured if detected cancer early and treated adequately. The term “cancer control“ was coined to unify public health actions aimed at implementing evidence-based strategies for cancer prevention, early detection and treatment, however adapted to different socioeconomic, cultural and resource settings (WHO, 2006). WHO and its cancer research agency, the International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC), provide coordination and the leadership in these international actions (WHO, 2006).