Global cancer rates are expected to rise 77% to hit 35M by 2050, warns WHO

An estimated 20 million cases of cancer were diagnosed worldwide in 2022, up from 18 million in 2020. That number will rise by 77% to 35 million by 2050, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) predicted Thursday.

Highly developed countries will experience the greatest absolute increase in cancer cases over the next 25 years. Countries with lower levels of development, however, will see a disproportionate increase in cancer rates, potentially putting a greater burden on their health systems. The IARC projects a 142% increase in cancer rates for countries with a low-level of development, compared to a 99% increase for countries with a medium-level of development, between now and 2050.

“The impact of this increase will not be felt evenly across countries of different [development] levels,” Dr. Freddie Bray, head of the Cancer Surveillance Branch at IARC, said in a news release about the data. “Those who have the fewest resources to manage their cancer burdens will bear the brunt of the global cancer burden.”

While progress has been made in early cancer detection and treatment, “significant disparities in cancer treatment outcomes exist not only between high- and low-income regions of the world, but also within countries,” Dr. Cary Adams, head of international NGO Union for International Cancer Control, added.

“Where someone lives should not determine whether they live,” she said. “This is not just a resource issue, but a matter of political will.”

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