Where in the world is MD Anderson?

More than 14 million cancer cases are diagnosed worldwide each year — and that number is expected to grow.

In fact, World Health Organization scientists predict that number will reach 24 million cases a year by 2035. To avoid a “tidal wave” of cancer tomorrow, MD Anderson and other health care institutions are taking action today.

“Our mission and vision challenge us to be the single most impactful institution in relieving the burden of cancer globally, and we can achieve this by extending our brand of prevention, care, research and education to like-minded organizations worldwide,” says MD Anderson President Ron DePinho, M.D.

To do that, the institution’s Global Academic Programs (GAP) facilitates the Sister Institution Network — the largest global network of cancer centers (32 institutions in 23 countries) working collaboratively on research and education. Currently, MD Anderson is involved in 93 international research projects in 24 countries. The MD Anderson Cancer Network® allows the institution to collaborate with healthcare providers to provide MD Anderson’s model of multidisciplinary care to patients in the communities where they live. Here’s a look at new cancer cases by region and where the Cancer Network and GAP are teaming with hospitals, health systems and institutions across the nation and around the globe in Making Cancer History®.

Estimated Number of New Cancer Cases by Region, 2012*

* GLOBOCAN 2012 (Based on the most recent data available from the International Agency 
for Research on Cancer)

• 8.2 million: The number of cancer deaths in 2012 worldwide.
• 179: The number of countries, out of the 196 that are eligible, that have signed on to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), a treaty led by the World Health Organization to help combat the global tobacco pandemic. A number of major tobacco-producing countries, including the United States, have not ratified the treaty. The report notes that tobacco use is the cause of nearly 6 million premature deaths annually.
• 1,676,600: The estimated number of new breast cancer cases among women worldwide in 2012. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in both developed and developing countries.
• 14.1 million: The number of new cancer cases diagnosed in 2012 worldwide. More than half of these — 8 million  — occurred in economically developing countries.
• 58%: The percentage of all newly diagnosed cancers in economically developed countries that occur among those aged 65 and older. This figure is 40% in developing countries. The report notes that this "difference is largely due to variations in age structure of the populations."
• 21.7 million: The number of new cancer cases expected to be diagnosed in 2030. And, by 2030,13 million cancer deaths are predicted. However, these projections only reflect population growth and aging, so these figures will likely be much larger "due to the adoption of lifestyles that are known to increase cancer risk, such as smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity, and fewer pregnancies, in economically developing countries."