Epidemiology
The disease
Cancer / Epidemiology
In industrialized western countries,
malign tumours (colloquial: Cancer) is the second major cause of death after cardiovascular
diseases. In Switzerland there are more then 43500 new cases of cancer and more than 17200 people die of cancer every year
(Source: Krebsliga Schweiz, February 2022).
The number of cancer patients is increasing, mainly because of demographic shifts
and longer life expectancy.
Cancer is not predominantly
a disease of old age as it is often believed. Younger people and children are
also afflicted by cancer. In Switzerland, almost 30% of "lost years"
(i.e. years not lived because of premature death) are accounted for by cancer.
For men, almost one third of
deaths are related to cancer, which is close to the total of cardiovascular diseases
(about 40%) and exceeds all the other diseases taken together.
For women, cancer is the main
cause of death in nearly 25% of cases.
In spite of continuous success
in the various fields of cancer research and the resulting treatment options,
the number of deaths from cancer continues to rise.