Noncommunicable Diseases: More Than a Health Crisis

From Medscape Hematology-Oncology Linda Brookes, MSc; Eduardo L. Cazap, MD, PhD On September 19-20, 2011, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly will hold a High Level Summit on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) in New York to address the global threat posed by NCDs. The Summit is only the second UN meeting of its kind to focus on a global disease issue, the first being the special session on HIV/AIDS in 2001. This Summit will focus on the 4 most prominent NCDs: cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that by 2030, NCDs will be the most common causes of death worldwide. Cancer, long considered a health threat in high-income countries, is now recognized as being an increasingly important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In 2008, 7.6 million or 21% of NCD deaths were caused by cancer, and this number is projected to increase by 4 million over the next 20 years. By 2030, two thirds of all cancer diagnoses will occur in low- and middle-income countries. An Epidemic With Global Economic Impact The impending global epidemic of cancer will have far-reaching impact. "If action is not taken very soon," said Eduardo L. Cazap, MD, PhD, president of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), "a financial crisis like that of Lehman Brothers will be peanuts in comparison with a collapse of healthcare systems." http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/748954?src=ptalk