Cancer cases worldwide could surge to nearly 35 million a year by 2050 unless countries urgently improve access to prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment, the World Health Organization (WHO) says in a new report.

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Released on July 8, the WHO Global Status Report on Cancer 2026, developed jointly with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), estimates that about 20.6 million people develop cancer each year, while nearly 10 million die from the disease.

More than 26,000 people lose their lives to cancer every day, making cancer the world’s second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease.

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The report says reversing this trend will require countries to adopt a people-centred approach that responds to the medical needs of patients and the experiences of those living with cancer, their families, and caregivers.

Despite progress in cancer prevention, treatment, and political commitment, access to care remains unequal. According to the report, 87 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer in high-income countries survive for at least five years after diagnosis, compared with only about 42 percent in low-income countries.

It also notes that fewer than one in three countries include cancer care in their universal health coverage packages, leaving millions without access to essential services.

"Cancer is a personal disease that touches nearly all of us. But whether a person survives cancer should never depend on where they were born or what they earn,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"The inequities documented in this report are not inevitable; they are the consequence of choices, and they can be reversed through stronger and unified action.”

Cancer continues to place enormous financial and emotional pressure on households, for example, WHO’s first global survey of people affected by cancer found that at least 45 percent experience financial hardship, more than half report mental health challenges, and nearly all caregivers say they face significant strain, including unpaid caregiving responsibilities and social isolation.

The report highlights wide differences in the burden of cancer across regions. In 2024, Asia accounted for more than half of all cancer cases (50.7 percent) and deaths (56.5 percent). Europe, despite having only about 9 percent of the world’s population, accounted for 21 percent of global cancer cases and 20 percent of deaths.

Many countries in Africa and parts of Asia, recorded lower cancer incidence but disproportionately high mortality, pointing to gaps in access to timely diagnosis and treatment.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths globally. In men, lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers are among the most common, while breast, lung, and colorectal cancers account for many of the cancer cases diagnosed among women.

Nearly four in 10 cancer cases worldwide are linked to preventable risk factors. These include tobacco and alcohol use, obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, and infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B and C, and Helicobacter pylori.

The report also identifies air pollution as one of the factors influencing the changing cancer burden.

"While we are seeing reductions in some cancer rates in countries that have implemented prevention policies, progress has been too slow,” said Dr Elisabete Weiderpass, Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The report highlights progress in cancer control; for instance, tobacco use has declined by 27 percent since 2010, helping to reduce lung cancer cases and deaths in some regions. Infection-related cancers are falling as vaccination and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) efforts improve.

Political commitment has improved, with 82 percent of countries now having national cancer control plans, up from 50 percent in 2010. However, access to essential medicines remains unequal, with availability of the 20 priority cancer medicines ranging from 9 percent to 54 percent in low- and lower-middle-income countries, compared with 68 percent to 94 percent in high-income countries.