WHO warns global cancer diagnoses to nearly double by 2050

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that annual cancer diagnoses are projected to reach 35 million by 2050, up from about 20.6 million in 2024 – an increase of nearly 70 percent. Only 12 nations are on track to cut premature cancer deaths by one‑third by 2030, while 48 see rising mortality. Cancer is now the second leading cause of death after heart disease, with roughly one in five people expected to be diagnosed in their lifetime. The most common cancers are lung and prostate in men, breast and lung in women, with colorectal cancer third for both sexes. Asia accounts for over half of the global cancer burden, followed by Europe (21 %) and North America (11 %).

WHO estimates that up to 40 % of cancers could be prevented. Director‑General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “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.” The agency also highlights that rising risk factors such as alcohol use, excess body weight and physical inactivity, together with an aging population, drive the trend. Economic costs are expected to exceed $33.2 trillion by 2050, comparable to the entire U.S. GDP, and about half of patients and families face catastrophic health expenditures. WHO calls for urgent investment in low‑ and middle‑income countries to improve screening, diagnosis, treatment and supportive care, noting that “reducing exposure to established risk factors … remains one of the most powerful levers for impact,” said Dr Elisabete Weiderpass of the International Agency for Research on Cancer.