Cancer Cases Predicted to Rise by 66.7 Percent, WHO Says

JAKARTA - The number of cancer cases in the world is estimated to increase by 66.7 percent by 2050. However, where people live and their economic conditions still have a major impact on patients' chances of receiving a diagnosis, treatment, and better chances of survival.

Euronews quoted Monday, July 13, referring to the latest report of the World Health Organization or WHO estimating that the increase in cases occurs with increasing age of the population, population growth, and exposure to risk factors such as pollution.

The largest increase is expected to occur in the African region by 125.2 percent and the Eastern Mediterranean by 109.8 percent. Low- and middle-income countries are predicted to bear the heaviest burden.

Inequality is seen in the patient's survival chances. The five-year survival rate for breast cancer and childhood cancer reaches more than 85 percent in high-income countries. The figure drops below 45 percent in low-income countries.

WHO also highlighted the limited access to cancer diagnosis. This condition makes the disease late to be found and the stage of cancer is difficult to determine accurately.

As a result, many new patients are treated when the disease is in an advanced stage. This is still happening, even for types of cancer that can actually be detected earlier.

Inequality also occurs within a country. Education, location of residence, ethnicity, gender, disability, and status as indigenous people, immigrants, or refugees also affect access to services.

"Whether someone can survive cancer should not depend on where they are born or how much they earn," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Tedros said the gap was not something that could not be changed. According to him, this condition is the result of policy choices and can be suppressed through stronger and more integrated actions.

As many as 82 percent of countries currently have national cancer control plans. Scientific innovation is also developing rapidly. However, WHO assesses that progress is still too slow to save more lives.

Director of the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer or IARC, Elisabete Weiderpass, said that a number of countries managed to reduce the number of several types of cancer after implementing prevention policies.

However, the results are not fast enough.

"Cancer patterns are changing and increasingly driven by increasing obesity, lack of physical activity, unhealthy diets, and air pollution," said Weiderpass.

He emphasized that cancer prevention must remain a policy priority.

According to a WHO report quoted by Euronews, one in five people is at risk of developing cancer throughout their lives. As many as 92 percent of the world's population are also estimated to have close family members diagnosed with cancer.

In 2024, the world recorded 20.6 million new cancer cases and around 9.7 million deaths. Cancer is the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular diseases.

In men, lung and prostate cancer are the most common types. In women, breast and lung cancer occupy the top spot.

WHO asked governments to strengthen data and accountability to measure progress and determine policy steps. Investment and cooperation between countries also need to be increased so that research results can be more quickly incorporated into health policies and services.

"The choices we make now and in the years to come will determine the burden of cancer in the future," Tedros said.