More than 90% of the world’s population will be affected at least once and in some way by cancer, either directly or through a family member, and one in five people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime, according to research endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
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The organization together with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released a report this Wednesday that “offers the most comprehensive assessment ever conducted on the global situation regarding cancer prevention and control,” said the head of this area at WHO, Andre Ilbawi, to the press.
Despite advances in treatments and prevention, more and more people will suffer and die from cancer in the coming years.
“Survival depends less on the type or stage of cancer than on the country where one lives and the economic situation,” said Isabelle Soerjomataram, deputy director of the Cancer Surveillance Unit at IARC, during the same presentation.
Cancer causes the death of 26,000 people worldwide every day, with 20.6 million new cases per year and 10 million deaths, making it the second leading cause of death globally, only behind cardiovascular diseases.
By 2050, deaths will rise to 35 million per year, but the distribution of this mortality will be marked by increasing inequalities that leave millions of people without access to prevention services, diagnostics, treatments, or care.
Ilbawi gave the example that currently more than 85% of women with breast cancer survive at least five years after diagnosis in high-income countries, but that proportion drops to less than 30 % in many low-income countries.
The report includes the first survey conducted by the WHO among patients, which revealed that at least 45% experience financial difficulties, more than half report suffering from mental health problems, and almost all caregivers state they have a significant burden, including unpaid care work and social isolation.
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Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, while lung, prostate, and colon cancers are among the most common in men.
In women, the most common are breast, lung, and colon cancers.
The analysis also provides an overview of the results of public policies to reduce tobacco consumption (27% less since 2010), which has helped reduce cases and deaths from lung cancer in some regions.
Infection-related cancers are also decreasing thanks to expanded immunization coverage, improved access to water, sanitation, and hygiene, as well as infection prevention and control measures, the WHO notes.
However, it acknowledges that “lives are not being saved at the necessary pace” despite nearly four out of ten cancer cases being related to preventable risk factors.
The main ones are human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B and C, and the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, as well as alcohol and tobacco consumption, overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity.
Another example is that in low- and middle-income countries, the availability of the twenty priority oncology medicines ranges between 9% and 54%, while in wealthy countries it ranges between 68% and 94%.
The WHO advocated making cancer prevention a political priority, investing in treatments, and maintaining commitment to tobacco control and vaccination programs.
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