Estimates of the worldwide incidence and mortality from 27 major cancers and for all cancers combined for 2012 are now available in the GLOBOCAN series of the International Agency for Research on Cancer. We review the sources and methods used in compiling the national cancer incidence and mortality estimates, and briefly describe the key results by cancer site and in 20 large "areas" of the world. Overall, there were 14.1 million new cases and 8.2 million deaths in 2012. The most commonly diagnosed cancers were lung (1.82 million), breast (1.67 million), and colorectal (1.36 million); the most common causes of cancer death were lung cancer (1.6 million deaths), liver cancer (745,000 deaths), and stomach cancer (723,000 deaths).According to WHO estimates for 2011, cancer now causes more deaths than all coronary heart disease or all stroke.1 The continuing global demographic and epidemiologic transitions signal an ever-increasing cancer burden over the next decades, particularly in low and middle income countries (LMIC), with over 20 million new cancer cases expected annually as early as 2025.2 The GLOBOCAN estimates for 2012 3 aim to provide the evidence and impetus for developing resource-contingent strategies to reduce the cancer burden worldwide.We review here the fifth version of GLOBOCAN, the sources and methods used in compiling cancer incidence and mortality estimates for 2012 in 184 countries worldwide, and briefly describe the key results by cancer site. The basic units for estimation are countries, although we present the results globally, by level of development and for aggregated regions, as defined by the United Nations. 4 Such estimates have been prepared for 27 major cancers and for all cancers combined and by sex. While the methods of estimation have been refined over time, they still rely upon the best available data on cancer incidence and mortality at the national level in assembling regional and global profiles. Facilities for the tabulation and graphical visualisation of the full dataset of 184 countries and 30 world regions by sex can be accessed via the GLOBOCAN homepage (http://globocan.iarc.fr).To document the methods used in compiling the estimates and guide users as to their validity, we introduce an alphanumeric scoring system that provides information on the availability and quality of the incidence and mortality sources at the country level.
DataIncidence data derive from population-based cancer registries (PBCR). Although PBCR may cover national populations, more often they cover smaller, subnational areas, and, particularly in countries undergoing development, only selected urban areas. In 2006, about 21% of the world population was covered by PBCR, with sparse registration in Asia (8% of the total population) and in Africa (11%). 5 In terms of what is considered data of high quality (for example, those included in the latest volume (X) of the IARC Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5) series 6 ), these percentages are even lower: only 14% of the world population is covered by...