Ahead of World Cancer Day, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer branch, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and WHO have revealed concerning updates on the global cancer situation.
They’ve discovered that the number of people affected by cancer is increasing significantly, with the latest estimates showing about 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths in 2022 alone.
What’s more, around 53.5 million people were living within five years of a cancer diagnosis.
A particularly alarming finding from a WHO survey, which included 115 countries, is that the majority of these countries are not investing enough in essential cancer and palliative care services. This is despite the evident need to include these services in universal health coverage to help manage the disease effectively.
The data emphasizes how cancer disproportionately affects underserved populations, highlighting a global need to tackle cancer inequities. For example, the chance of developing cancer over a lifetime is about 1 in 5, with men and women facing different risks of death from the disease.
The report also points out that only a fraction of countries provide comprehensive coverage for cancer care through their health benefit packages. This means that many people worldwide lack access to crucial cancer treatments and palliative care.
Breaking down the types of cancer, lung, breast, and colorectal cancers were identified as the three most common cancers worldwide in 2022. These, along with other types, constitute the majority of new cases and deaths from cancer.
The report also touches on the stark differences in cancer incidence and mortality between genders and the significant disparities in cancer outcomes based on a country’s level of human development.
For instance, breast cancer diagnosis and survival rates vary greatly between high and low human development index (HDI) countries, with women in lower HDI countries facing a higher risk of dying from the disease. This disparity is attributed to late diagnoses and limited access to quality treatment.
The survey revealed significant global inequities in cancer services, with lower-income countries being less likely to include essential cancer-related services in their health benefit packages compared to high-income countries.
These findings underscore the urgent need for investments to address these global inequities and improve cancer outcomes worldwide.
Looking ahead to 2050, the IARC predicts a 77% increase in new cancer cases, reflecting the effects of population aging, growth, and changes in exposure to risk factors like tobacco, alcohol, obesity, and air pollution.
This increase will be more pronounced in low and medium HDI countries, highlighting the ongoing challenge of managing the global cancer burden, particularly in resource-limited settings.
The World Health Organization has called for increased investments and political will to expand access to cancer care and address the inequities that currently exist, emphasizing that geographic location should not determine an individual’s chance of surviving cancer.