20% of deaths is generally due to cancer pathologies. It is estimated that over the world, each year, 5.3 million cancer cases are diagnosed amongst men, 4.7 million amongst women, and that 6.2 million people circa die of cancer.
Cigarette and alcohol consumption, western diet, sedentary lifestyle, excess exposition to sun-rays, exposure to carcinogens in occupational field and dispersion of pollutants in the environment are amongst the most significant causes of the disease in the world wealthy countries, where cancer is more frequent. In industrialized countries, cancer mortality is twice as high compared to the one of development countries. In less wealthy countries, one quarter of cancers are due to infective agents, such as, for instance, Hepatitis B and C viruses (which increase liver cancer risk), and human papilloma virus (a possible cause of uterus cervix cancer). It is estimated that the number of new cancer cases will double globally in the next 20 years (i.e. from 10 million in year 2000, to 20 million in 2020)

In Italy, each year, new cancer cases are 234.000 circa, and the number of deaths is 138,000 circa. Taking into consideration the number of patients who have recovered, new cases and those in treatment, it is calculated that 1 and a half million people in Italy experience cancer.

Table 1 shows regional estimates of new cases for alla cancers in 2005. For men, Campania region reach to Lombardia region at the maximum level of the standardized incidence rate (389 new cases per 100.000) while for women Friuli region (324 new cases per 100.000) precede Lombardia region (305 new cases per 100.000).

Table 1. Number of new cases, crude incidence rate (x 100.000), standardized rate (European population) (x 100.000). Age 0-84. 2005. All cancers

Men Women AREA Nr of Cases Crude rate Std rate Nr of Cases Crude rate Std rate Piemonte 12.101 602 364 9.996 480 284 Valle d'Aosta 331 572 378 277 475 302 Lombardia 23.588 544 389 21.803 486 305 Trentino Alto Adige 2.201 480 375 1.922 411 278 Veneto 10.697 494 367 9.904 445 281 Friuli Venezia Giulia 3.210 587 380 3.226 564 324 Liguria 4.744 652 374 3.992 511 271 Emilia Romagna 10.595 574 352 9.859 515 294 Toscana 9.647 591 361 8.037 469 272 Umbria 2.297 592 361 1.925 476 275 Marche 3.881 566 355 3.017 425 261 Lazio 12.671 506 366 11.351 428 285 Abruzzo 2.549 421 284 2.152 342 207 Molise 687 442 305 492 307 196 Campania 11.928 417 389 9.392 316 254 Puglia 7.511 376 308 6.266 302 220 Basilicata 1.271 431 318 979 326 225 Calabria 3.471 346 275 2.867 279 202 Sicilia 8.752 354 287 6.890 267 191 Sardegna 3.338 418 333 2.846 348 241 ITALY 135.469 492 356 117.193 409 266

As shown in the Table below (estimates of 1998 in European Union including Italy) the highest incidence appears for breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer and colo-rectal cancer.

Table 2. Age standardised incidence rate / 100.000 people. European Union. 1998