Cancer is a term used for a group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. These are also known as malignant tumours and neoplasms. Cancer is characterised by rapid abnormal cell growth, which then spreads to other parts of the body via a process called metastasis. A major cause of cancer death is when these abnormal cells form lumps in our vital organs.

Cancer kills 10 million people every year. While there are regional and sex differences, globally, the main types of cancer are:

• Breast cancer (2.26 million cases and 685,000 deaths in 2020)
• Lung cancer (2.21 million cases and 1.8 million deaths)
• Colon and rectum cancer, including bowel cancer (1.93 million cases and 935,000 deaths)
• Stomach cancer (1.09 million cases and 769,000 deaths)
• Liver cancer (906,000 cases and 830,000 deaths)
• Prostate cancer (1.41 million cases and 375,000 deaths)
• Skin cancer (non-melanoma) (1.20 million cases and 57,000 deaths)