With nearly half of oncologists on the brink of quitting and a quarter regretting their career choices, the world is hurtling towards a cancer workforce crisis, experts have warned.Staff shortages combined with increasing cancer rates and an aging population could overwhelm healthcare systems as early as 2050, a new commission has revealed.The ‘sobering’ report, presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, in Chicago, predicts the biggest shortfalls will be in nursing and diagnostic staff - resulting in longer waits and potentially substandard care.Demand for care is already pushing hospitals across the UK to their limits - with some patients being treated in A&E corridors and reports of dying patients left parked outside nurses’ stations.The report - published in the Lancet Oncology - highlights a shortfall of up to 100 million cancer care workers worldwide by 2050.Experts are now calling on governments to dramatically increase the number of specialist staff - by implementing national cancer plans; investing in technology and education; and providing adequate funding for these long-term efforts.It comes as cancer rates continue to climb, with a worrying number of under-50s now being diagnosed with the devastating disease.As it stands, 35 million people are predicted to be diagnosed with cancer every year by 2050, the equivalent of almost 100,000 diagnoses every single day. The workforce crisis comes amid a predicted 21 per cent increase in cancer cases, the report says ‘Cancer is considered a silent pandemic, with 35.3 million cases and 18.5 million deaths projected to occur annually worldwide by 2050,’ the commission wrote.Studies have shown that around a fifth of oncologists have already left clinical care over the past decade.In a comment piece on the findings, Dr Julie R Gralow, said: ‘This commission presents a stark analysis of an impending global health catastrophe, underscoring a crucial reality: the global cancer burden cannot be effectively addressed without a robust, well-trained, and evenly distributed workforce.’Speaking at the conference, co-author of the report, Professor Mark Lawler added: ‘What we’ve uncovered is shocking.‘We can’t wait until 2050 to see if our projections are correct – we must act now.' Experts worldwide are now grappling with how to stop the crisis from worsening, calling on governments for clearer plans, combined efforts and adequate funding.Matt Sample, the senior health policy manager at Cancer Research UK, said health services in the UK are ‘already struggling to keep up with demand’.‘If the UK is serious about achieving world-leading cancer outcomes, a step change in how we plan and invest in our cancer services is needed,’ he said.