Cancer epidemiology in the Far East--contrast with the United States

Cancer incidence is rising rapidly in the Far East. Liver and lung cancers are the dominant neoplasms, but the incidence of breast and colorectal cancers has been increasing over the past 30 years, as Asians gradually adopt Western diet and lifestyle. Over the same period, the incidence of gastric cancer declined, although it remains a major health problem in many Asian countries. Malignancies presumed to be virus associated, such as liver cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, cervical cancer, and adult T-cell leukemia, are far more common in Asia than in the United States and other parts of the world. Preventive measures, such as hepatitis B immunization to prevent liver cancer, may prove effective for some of these malignancies in the years to come. Meanwhile, cancers that are related to smoking and diet, such as, cancer of the lung, breast, and colorectum, will become increasingly common in the Far East.