International Patterns of Cancer Incidence and Mortality

Abstract This chapter considers the patterns of cancer mainly with respect to what they tell us of differences in the risk of cancer among populations and the possible explanations for them. Information on the burden of disease has a different, albeit related, use during the planning and monitoring of programs of cancer control. The main role of cancer surveillance in this context lies in the assessment of the current magnitude of the cancer burden and its likely future evolution as well as monitoring the effects of early detection/screening, treatment, and palliative care.