Final answer:
Cancer has overtaken homicide as the second leading cause of death in high-income countries, with lung cancer being the most fatal despite not being the most common. This shift is a result of various factors, including aging populations and lifestyle choices, such as smoking, which increases the risk of lung cancer.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cancer has become a leading cause of death, surpassing homicide to become the second leading cause after cardiovascular diseases in high-income countries. According to a BMJ report from 2019, cancer is responsible for more deaths than heart disease in these regions, marking a significant shift in global health trends.
The rise in cancer-related deaths is attributed to various factors, including an aging population and lifestyle choices such as tobacco use, which is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths. Lung cancer claims more lives than any other cancer type, despite not being the most common cancer. This highlights the deadly impact of certain types of cancer, even if they are not the most frequently occurring.
Additionally, in high-income countries, the effective screening and prevention strategies have helped reduce deaths from certain cancers, like cervical cancer. Nonetheless, in lower-income countries, cervical cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer death, primarily due to the lack of widespread screening programs.