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?
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Anonymous

Content: 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. In the US the average life expectancy is currently in the late 70s. 100 years ago, it was 47. You can see why cancer rates have increased - people are living longer. In Asian countries with a high life expectancy, such as Japan (82.6 years), cancer rates are comparable with those in the US. The Us has higher rates of sometypes of cancer - breast cancer is an example.