Global cancer cases cross 14 million, says WHO

The number of people being diagnosed with cancer in the world each year has crossed 14 million, WHO has revealed.

According to the World Health Organization, the data for 2012 showed a marked rise on the 12.7 million cases in 2008 and the number of deaths has also increased, from 7.6 million to 8.2 million, the BBC reported.

The reason for the rapid rise in cancer cases is believed to be due to the shift in lifestyles in the developing world to more closely reflect industrialized countries, as well as rising rates of smoking and obesity.

The WHO has predicted that the number of cancer cases will soar to more than 19 million a year by 2025.