Cancer rates expected to rise significantly, especially in low-income countries

The expected rise in cancer rates is largely driven by exposure to known risk factors, such as smoking and alcohol, and an aging population, according to the report. Experts have also cited improvements in cancer surveillance, which has allowed doctors to diagnose more cancers than in the past.

"It will be a significant added burden for every country globally when cancers associated with obesity become the norm," said André Ilbawi, team lead for cancer control at WHO. "That will likely happen in a significant number of countries in the next 20 to 30 years."

In the United States, the rate of new cancer cases has been generally stable in recent years, according to NIH. However, the WHO report projects that cancer rates will increase in all regions of the world, with new cases expected to disproportionately appear in lower-income countries with less access to cancer surveillance and treatment.

Although incidence rates of cancer are increasing, the report noted that cancer survival rates have also improved. In high-income countries, five-year net survival rates for breast and prostate cancer are currently around 80% to 90%.

Abigail Simon-Hart, a breast cancer survivor and patient advocate from Nigeria, said that she's seen "parents choose between paying for treatment and keeping a child in school, and children forced to abandon their education because every single available resource was spent on cancer care."

Simon-Hart added that in some places, the stigma surrounding a cancer diagnosis could be deadly. During her work, she said she's met women who chose to die instead of losing a breast to life-saving mastectomies.

"Cancer is not just a medical diagnosis – it profoundly, indefinitely affects every aspect of a person's life, and their family's as well," said Clarissa Schilstra, a childhood cancer survivor and lead of WHO's report. "We urge policymakers to meaningfully engage with people affected by cancer. By voicing our lived experiences, we can inform more equitable, effective solutions to protect and promote the lives and wellbeing of future generations."

Specifically, the report outlines three strategic recommendations to be implemented worldwide:

1. Better capabilities: Integrating cancer control within universal health coverage and investing in human capital to prevent and control cancer
2. Better protections: Placing those with lived experiences in the middle of cancer systems while strengthening social protection
3. Better value: Aligning research and innovation with public health needs and ensuring equitable access to value-based advances in cancer care

"Cancer is a deeply 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," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "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."