The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO), projects that by 2050 the number of new cancer cases will exceed 35 million, which 77% more than in 2012.
In 2012, there were 14.1 million cases and 8.2 million deaths worldwide, and ten years later these numbers had risen to 20 million new cases and 9.7 million deaths. As for mortality, according to experts, from 2012 it will almost double and amount to more than 18 million cases. At the same time, WHO believes that behind this forecast is “striking inequality” between rich and poor countries.
About one in five people will develop cancer in their lifetime, and one in nine men and one in 12 women will die from the disease, the International Agency for Research on Cancer said in a statement. However, the risk of getting the disease varies depending on where the patient lives, as evidenced by data collected in 185 countries.
For example, in the most developed countries, one in 12 women develops breast cancer during their lifetime, but only die from it one of the 71st. In less developed countries, the report says, breast cancer affects at least aboutbottom of 27 women. This is because the population tends to be younger and there is less exposure to risk factors such as being overweight. However, one in 48 women dies from the disease.
Women in these countries “less frequently diagnosed, but much more likely to risk dying from this disease due to late diagnosis and lack of access to quality treatment”, says Isabelle Serjomataram, deputy director of IARC’s cancer surveillance unit. At the same time, according to the organization, various types of cancer are increasingly affecting the population as lifestyle changes.
For example, colorectal cancer is now the third most common and second leading cause of death in the world. It is particularly associated with age, as well as lifestyle factors such as obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption.
It also noted that lung cancer has once again become the most common cancer and the leading cause of death, with 2.5 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths per year, which the report attributes to continued high smoking rates in Asia.
Although restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic have had an impact on cancer diagnosis and cancer care, data primarily from high-income countries only suggest little impact on survival rates.
Finally, the conclusion notes that the impact will be uneven, as in poorer countries the number of cases will increase by 142%, according to the agency, and the death rate will double.
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