Washington: More than 12 million new cancer cases were diagnosed in 2007, and 7.6 million people were killed by the disease, or 20,000 each day of the year, the American Cancer Society said in a report released today.

According to "Global Cancer Facts and Figures", the society's first report on worldwide cancer toll, 5.4 million new cases and 2.9 million fatalities occurred in developed nations over the course of the year.

Developing nations registered 6.7 million new cases of cancer and 4.7 million deaths from the disease in 2007, the report added.

Prostate, lung and colon cancer were the most frequent type form of the disease among men in developed nations.

Among women, cancer of the breast, colon and lung were most prevalent.

Meanwhile, in developing nations, lung, stomach and liver cancer were most common among men, while in women breast, uterine and stomach cancer topped the list.

Also in poorer countries, infection was the main cause of two of the three most prevalent forms of cancer in men, stomach and liver, along with cancer of the uterus and stomach in women.

Fifteen per cent of all cancer cases in the world are linked to infections, but in developing nations it is more prevalent (26 percent) than in developed nations (8.0 per cent), the report said.

Source : PTI