Global cancer cases are expected to nearly double in the next 25 years because of population aging, according to a new report from the World Health Organization, putting an additional strain on budgets as healthcare costs rise.The WHO estimates there are roughly 20.6 million new cancer cases each year, but new diagnoses are projected to climb to 35 million per year by 2050.Cancer remains the second leading cause of death worldwide, claiming 10 million lives each year, or roughly 26,000 each day, per the WHO. In the United States, there will be roughly 2 million new cancer cases and around 626,000 cancer deaths in 2026, according to the National Cancer Institute.
The new WHO report found that the U.S. has the highest spending on cancer worldwide, at nearly $209 billion in 2020, with costs expected to rise as more novel treatments are developed and adopted into standard treatment protocols.Part of the reason for the anticipated growth in cancer rates over the next quarter century is the aging populations of North America, Europe, and East Asia. Aging allows a person to be exposed to more environmental cancer exposures, such as pollution or excessive sunlight, which contribute to DNA mutations that drive cancer growth.Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer for both men and women, followed by breast cancer for women and prostate cancer for men. Colorectal cancer is the third most common form of the disease for both sexes.WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press release that nearly everyone will have an experience with cancer in some form, with 92% of people globally having a close family member or friend diagnosed with cancer.“Cancer is a deeply personal disease that touches nearly all of us,” Tedros said. “But whether a person survives cancer should never depend on where they were born or what they earn.”
