Global cancer-related deaths projected to nearly double by 2050

Global cancer deaths are expected to nearly double by 2050, primarily in low- and middle-income countries.

Habtum Bisaifu The professor and his team from Australia’s University of Queensland made the discovery by looking at recent morbidity and mortality figures for 36 types of cancer in 185 countries from the World Cancer Observatory’s database. These rates were then applied to the United Nations Development Programme’s 2050 population projections to predict future cases and deaths.

Researchers predict that the total number of cancer cases worldwide is expected to increase by nearly 77% between 2022 and 2050, representing 20 million cases in 2022 and an additional 15.3 million cases in 2050. It means that the number of people will increase. The number of deaths from cancer worldwide also increased by almost 90% during this period, with 9.7 million people dying from the disease in 2022, and 8.8 million people expected to die from the disease in 2050. It will be.

The biggest increases are expected to occur in countries that rank low or middle on the United Nations’ Human Development Index, which is based on life expectancy, education levels, and per capita income. In countries with low scores, such as Niger and Afghanistan, cancer incidence and deaths are expected to nearly triple on average by 2050. Meanwhile, countries with very high scores, such as Norway, are projected to see an average increase in infections and deaths of more than 42% and 56%, respectively.

This corroborates other evidence that: The number of cancer cases is on the risesay Andrew Chan at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and he was not involved in the study. Multiple factors are likely driving this, he says, including people living longer and increasing their risk of cancer. However, this study did not take into account the emergence of new or more effective treatments.

Chan says the least developed countries will probably experience the largest increase due to “the so-called Westernization of the population.” “Some of the habits traditionally considered to be associated with higher cancer risk, such as rising obesity rates and poor diet, are becoming trends in low- and middle-income countries.”