The ever‐increasing importance of cancer as a leading cause of premature death worldwide

TLDR

CVD and cancer are now the leading causes of premature death in 127 countries, reflecting a shift from infectious to noncommunicable diseases in the ongoing epidemiologic transition. The study examines the relative importance of CVD and cancer as leading causes of premature death and urges governments to incorporate these trends into cancer policy planning. Cancer may surpass CVD as the leading cause of premature death in most countries by the end of this century.

Abstract

The relative importance of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer as leading causes of premature death are examined in this communication. CVD and cancer are now the leading causes in 127 countries, with CVD leading in 70 countries (including Brazil and India) and cancer leading in 57 countries (including China). Such observations can be seen as part of a late phase of an epidemiologic transition, taking place in the second half of the 20th century and the first half of the present one, in which the dominance of infectious diseases is progressively superseded by noncommunicable diseases. According to present ranks and recent trends, cancer may surpass CVD as the leading cause of premature death in most countries over the course of this century. Clearly, governments must factor in these transitions in developing cancer policies for the local disease profile.