WHO warns global cancer cases could double by 2050

The World Health Organization’s Global Status Report on Cancer 2026 estimates that annual new cancer cases will rise from about 20.6 million in 2024 to nearly 35 million by 2050, almost a doubling. Cancer already causes roughly 10 million deaths each year, making it the world’s second‑leading cause of mortality after cardiovascular disease.

The report highlights stark inequalities: five‑year survival for breast cancer is about 87 % in high‑income countries but only around 42 % in low‑income nations, and fewer than one‑third of countries currently include comprehensive cancer care in universal health coverage. Approximately 40 % of cases are linked to avoidable risk factors such as tobacco use, harmful alcohol consumption, excess weight, physical inactivity, and infections like HPV and hepatitis B/C. WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that survival should never depend on where a person is born or how much they earn, calling for coordinated, person‑centred actions to expand prevention, early detection, treatment and supportive care worldwide.