Which factor is identified as contributing to rising cancer incidence?

• A. Ageing population and early detection
• B. Improved treatment
• C. Decreased screening
• D. Genetic mutations only

Answer: (A)

Rising cancer incidence is largely driven by the structure of the population and how we detect cases. As the population ages, more people reach ages where cancer risk is higher, so there are more new cancers diagnosed each year. At the same time, improvements in screening and diagnostic methods mean cancers are found earlier and more often, which increases the number of cases being diagnosed and counted.

Improved treatment reduces deaths and improves outcomes but doesn’t change how many people actually develop cancer. Decreased screening would tend to lower the number of cancers detected (at least in the short term), not raise it. Genetic mutations can influence individual risk, but they don’t by themselves explain a broad, population-wide rise in incidence.