The global cancer burden is projected to worsen with some 35 million new cancer cases in 2050, a 77 per cent increase from the estimated 20 million cases in 2022.

This is according to the latest global cancer estimates published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization (WHO) cancer agency ahead of World Cancer Day on Sunday (February 4).

According to the agency, the proportional increase in new cases is most striking in countries with low human development index (HDI), 142 per cent increase and in medium HDI countries, 99 per cent.

Cancer mortality is also projected to almost double in these countries by 2050.

“The impact of this increase will not be felt evenly across countries of different HDI levels. Those who have the fewest resources to manage their cancer burdens will bear the brunt of the global cancer burden,” says Dr Freddie Bray, head of the Cancer Surveillance Branch at IARC.

While head of the Union for International Cancer (UICC) Dr Cary Adams, said: “Despite the progress that has been made in the early detection of cancers and the treatment and care of cancer patients–significant disparities in cancer treatment outcomes exist not only between high and low-income regions of the world, but also within countries. Where someone lives should not determine whether they live. Tools exist to enable governments to prioritise cancer care, and to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, quality services. This is not just a resource issue but a matter of political will.”

According to the report, tobacco, alcohol and obesity are key factors behind the increasing incidence of cancer, with air pollution still a key driver of environmental risk factors.

The report also found inequities in the cancer burden according to human development. This is particularly true for breast cancer. It said in countries with a very high HDI, 1 in 12 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and 1 in 71 women die of it.

In countries with a low HDI, only one in 27 women is diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, one in 48 women will die from it.

“Women in lower HDI countries are 50 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than women in high HDI countries, yet they are at a much higher risk of dying of the disease due to late diagnosis and inadequate access to quality treatment,” said Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, deputy head of the Cancer Surveillance Branch at IARC.

WHO’s global survey of health benefit packages (HBPs) also revealed significant global inequities in cancer services. Lung cancer-related services were reportedly 4–7 times more likely to be included in a HBP in a high-income than a lower-income country.

On average, there was a four-fold greater likelihood of radiation services being covered in a HBP of a high-income than a lower-income country. The widest disparity for any service was stem-cell transplantation, which was 12 times more likely to be included in a HBP of a high-income than a lower-income country.

“WHO’s new global survey sheds light on major inequalities and lack of financial protection for cancer around the world, with populations, especially in lower income countries, unable to access the basics of cancer care,” said Dr Bente Mikkelsen, director of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases at WHO. “WHO, including through its cancer initiatives, is working intensively with more than 75 governments to develop, finance and implement policies to promote cancer care for all. To expand on this work, major investments are urgently needed to address global inequities in cancer.”

In 2022, Jamaica recorded some 7,500 new cancer cases with some 4,632 deaths. The top five cancers seen locally were prostate cancer, breast cancer, colorectum cancer, lung cancer and corpus uteri.