LISBON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Portugal currently has around 500,000 cancer survivors and 100,000 cancer patients receiving treatment, according to figures released on Tuesday by the Portuguese League Against Cancer.
Leader of the association, Vitor Veloso, said during a ceremony that cancer had increasingly become a chronic illness, but despite the rising number of cases, more people were being cured, according to local media reports.
However, he warned that the number of people suffering from cancer would rise further in the coming years.
Joint secretary of state for health Fernando Araujo said the number of new cases of cancer in Portugal had grown at a rate of three percent per year, pointing out that tobacco was the main risk factor and one of the main causes of death in the country.
President of the Portuguese parliament Ferro Rodrigues said every year there are 40,000 new cases of cancer in the country, killing around 20,000 people per year.
Cancer rates worldwide could further increase by 50 percent to 15 million new cases in the year 2020, according to the World Cancer Report.
According to the World Health Organization, in 2000, malignant tumours were responsible for 12 percent of the 56 million deaths worldwide from all causes.
