INTERNATIONAL: Asia Cancer Fears ; ASIA

Jun 01, 01:30 AM

Current Headlines: Asia is bracing itself for a dramatic surge in cancer rates over the next decade as people in the developing world live longer and adopt bad Western habits that greatly increase the risk of the disease.

Smoking, drinking and eating unhealthy foods - all linked to various cancers - will combine with larger populations and fewer deaths from infectious diseases to drive Asian cancer rates up 60 per cent by 2020, some experts predict.

"What happened in the Western world in the 60s or 70s will happen here in the next 10 to 20 years," said Dr Jatin Shah, a professor of surgery in New York.

(c) 2007 Birmingham Post; Birmingham (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.