Today, Steve Ember tells us about a new cancer study from the World Health Organization. Health experts are predicting a big increase in cancer in the world’s big cities. I’ll tell you about a group that is using vaccinations to try to keep tens of thousands of girls in eight countries from developing cervical cancer. And June Simms takes us to a Roman Catholic school for African-American girls in Washington, DC. In the nation’s capital, fewer than half of the children finish high school. But at this school, 90 percent do. The World Health Organization reports that one-third of all cancer deaths are preventable. The VOA’s Steve Ember tells us about a new study that finds cancer is still a leading cause of death worldwide. WHO officials say more than two-thirds of the new cases and deaths take place in developing countries. And they say the number of cases is increasing at a frightening rate. Andreas Ullrich is a medical officer with WHO’s Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion. He says the future outlook is grim. “With population aging, in particularly in exposure to major risk factors like tobacco, we expect that over the next 20 years that the number of new cases per year will double.” Dr. Ullrich notes that some activities can increase your risk of cancer. Major risk factors include tobacco use, drinking alcoholic products and lack of physical activity. He says health experts are predicting a major increase in cancer in the world’s cities. |