The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that around one-third of cancer deaths are preventable, through education programmes, better detection and treatment.

As a result, the disease hits hardest in developing countries, where such programmes are rudimentary, if they exist at all.

Experts say this "silent pandemic" will overwhelm health services already struggling under the burden of other diseases.

Each year cancer kills more people than HIV, Aids, tuberculosis and malaria combined.

The number of global cancer deaths is projected to increase by 45 per cent by 2030 (from 7.9 million in 2007 to a projected 11.5 million deaths), influenced in part by an increasing and ageing global population.

More than 7.6 million lives were lost last year the equivalent death toll to last month's earthquake in Haiti happening every week.

The number of cases are expected to double in the next 10 years, yet only five per cent of global resources for cancer are spent in the developing world.

Al Jazeera's Tarek Bazley reports on how Kenya struggles to treat and cope with the surge in cancer patients.