The world is making impressive progress averting cancer

IT IS ALREADY a frightening disease, and one that, on the face of things, is becoming ever deadlier. Cancer kills perhaps 10m people a year, a number that has been rising steadily over the decades. In rich countries, half of men and one in three women develop it at some point. In many countries, including Australia, Britain, Canada and Japan, people are more likely to die of cancer than of any other cause.