Title: when did Cancer become such a common thing and has it been much more common in the west than in Asia? | Yahoo Answers
Headings: when did Cancer become such a common thing and has it been much more common in the west than in Asia?
Anonymous
when did Cancer become such a common thing and has it been much more common in the west than in Asia?
6 Answers
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Anonymous

Content: Then you need to consider how far medical science has come. 100 years ago, cancer would have gone undetected until it killed the victim, and unless a post mortem was done (and I doubt they'd go to that trouble for a sick patient), then they'd never know unless the tumour was blatantly obvious. These days, everyone's aware of cancer and the things you need to look out for. We have x-rays and ultrasound for early detection, and means to treat the disease. Maybe the rise in cancer rates isn't much higher than it used to be, maybe it's purely because we can now detect it before it kills. I saw a program a while back that showed evidence in a bust that William Shakespeare died from cancer, there was tell tale evidence in his death mask to indicate a tumour in one of his eye sockets. No one mentions the 'C' word when his death is mentioned
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lo_mcg
Lv 7
10 years ago
The incidence rates of most types of cancer haven't risen significantly in many decades. No, cancer isn't more common in the west, or in the US. Cancer is mainly a disease of ageing - most people diagnosed with it are over 60. In countries where the average life expectancy is well under 60, cancer rates are lower because people die from other causes and don't live long enough to get cancer.