ABSTRACT
Cancer is a major public health problem in many parts of the world, and is responsible for 27 percent of deaths worldwide, surpassed only by cardiovascular diseases (WHO 2011). The forecasted changes in population demographics in the next two decades mean that even if current global cancer rates remain unchanged, the estimated incidence of 12,7 million new cancer cases in 2008 will rise to 21,4 million by 2030, with nearly two thirds of all cancer diagnoses occurring in low-and middle-income countries (WHO 2011). This disease is the leading cause of death in economically developed countries and the second leading cause of death in developing countries. The burden of cancer is increasing in developing countries as a result of population aging and growth as well as, increasingly, an adoption of cancer-associated lifestyle including smoking, physical inactivity, and ‘‘westernized’’ diets (Jemal et al. 2011).
