The Global Concern for Cancer Emergence and Its Prevention: A Systematic Unveiling of the Present Scenario

Cancer is a deadly disease and ranks as the second leading cause of death globally, which predominantly arises as a result of continuous exposure of human beings to carcinogenic agents and environmental contaminants. Poor dietary habits like drinking and eating and sedentary lifestyles play a deleterious role and affect the health of individuals. According to global data published recently, approximately ten million new cancer cases are reported every year out of which 5.5 and 4.7 million cases have been reported from the less developed and more developed countries, respectively. Global estimates suggest that among 19.3 million new cancer cases reported, nearly 10.0 million cancer deaths occurred in the year 2020 with a 47% rise expected in the global cancer burden in 2040. One of the major hurdles in the prevention of cancer is the lack of cost-effective measures since the entire treatment range comprising screening and diagnostic techniques, availability of anticancer drugs, chemotherapy, or surgery are all prohibitively expensive. In order to avert apparent and upcoming cancer-related morbidity and mortality, we need to fortify our health systems, particularly in developing countries. It is high time for us to invest in affordable cancer prevention programs through educational campaigns, introducing healthy lifestyle behaviors such as discontinuing alcohol consumption or tobacco uptake, teaching self-care, and establishing sustainable advanced treatment modalities, merged with low-cost cancer drugs. An individual's susceptibility to occupational cancer can be reduced by minimizing exposure to potent carcinogenic agents. Early detection with reliable biomarkers will aid in curative treatment and may help in averting the lifestyle or environmentally induced epigenetic alterations at the initial stages. This chapter covers the prevalence and causes behind the initiation of cancer and lays emphasis on the preventive measures that can be adopted to combat cancer.