Researchers review data related to high number of cancer deaths in China The past century or so has seen unprecedented technological, scientific, and sociological evolution worldwide. These have accompanied global shifts in people's lifestyles and rapid changes in the environment, both natural and man-made. An unfavorable consequence of these alterations has been the increasing burden of cancer on human society. As the country with the largest population, China has borne this burden heavily. Despite the massive progress China has made in healthcare since the 1950s, cancer has become the leading killer in the country. In 2015, nearly 2.4 million lives were taken by this disease. Cancer lies latent for years before it manifests; so perhaps, its burden will only continue to grow in the coming decades.