How important is and will cancer be for the economy and for you?
The following are quotations from different articles produced by Cancer Research UK, The Guardian and MacMillan Cancer Support:
· “Anyone can develop cancer, however, the risk of getting it increases with age. Most cases occur in middle-aged adults or older. About 77% of all cancers are diagnosed in people 55-years or older.”
· “Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with approximately 14 million new cases in 2021.”
· “The number of new cases is expected to rise by about 70% over the next 2 decades.
· “Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, and was responsible for 8.8 million deaths in 2015. Globally, nearly 1 in 6 deaths is due to cancer.”
· “Approximately 70% of deaths from cancer occur in low- and middle-income countries.
· “The economic impact of cancer is significant and is increasing. The total annual economic cost of cancer in 2010 was estimated at approximately US$ 1.16 trillion.”
· “Cancer Statistics for the UK. New cases of cancer, 2014, UK. 163,444 Deaths from cancer, 2014. 50 % Survive cancer for 10 or more years in England and Wales. 42 % Preventable cases of cancer”
· “It is projected that UK cancer rates will increase by around half a per cent for men and by around three per cent for women.* This will mean that by 2035 an estimated 4.5 million women and 4.8 million men will be diagnosed with cancer in the 20 year period. (Feb. 2017).”
· “The latest figures also show the global burden of cancer has reached an estimated 7.4 million men and an estimated 6.7 million women being diagnosed worldwide each year.(Feb. 2017)”
· “The latest figures show that more than 8 million people die from cancer each year across the world. More people die from cancer than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis put together. With more investment into research, we hope to make big improvements over the next 20 years in diagnosing the disease earlier and improving and developing treatments so that by 2034, three in four people will survive their disease.”(Feb. 2017)
Based on the above referred figures a good question is, How can companies, institutions, governments and individuals prepare for dealing appropriately with the expected increase in the rate of population affected by cancer, especially under the dramatic economic and human conditions we are living through?
The crisis brought about by the virus seems to be accentuating in the last weeks, and it may become more severe during wintertime. The financial support offered to the whole of the population and the health system are at the forefront of the current concerns of governments, central banks, businesses, and everyone around the world. The decisions are not easy to anyone. We all need to help, and we all can help even if small and in different ways. We need to find our own means to contribute.
How can we contribute to the economy by being safe? How can we contribute to the wellbeing of cancer patients and other serious diseases while simultaneously dealing with Covit?
Sources:
Cancer Research UK. (different dates) Available online at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/ http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/cancer-news/press-release/2017-02-03-womens-cancer-rates-rising-faster-than-mens
The Guardian. (2013) Living with Cancer. Available online at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/series/living-with-cancer
MacMillan (2013). Annual Report. Available online at: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/documents/aboutus/raiseandspend/annualreviews/annualreport2013.pdf
