For many years, doctors have warned that cancer is becoming one of the world’s greatest health problems.
A new international report shows that this warning is becoming even more urgent.
While medical research has produced better medicines and improved survival for many cancers, the total number of people affected continues to rise.
Experts say this is largely because the world’s population is expanding and more people are reaching older ages, when cancer becomes more common.
The latest report was prepared by scientists from the American Cancer Society and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. They analysed worldwide cancer information collected through the GLOBOCAN database.
Their estimates show that nearly 21 million people were diagnosed with cancer during 2024, while 9.8 million people died. The researchers also estimated that one out of every five people will develop cancer during their lifetime.
Looking ahead, the picture becomes even more challenging. If current population trends continue, annual cancer cases are expected to climb to 34 million by 2050. This increase is not mainly because cancer is becoming more aggressive. Instead, there will simply be more older adults, and cancer risk rises with age.
The study found that the burden of cancer is not shared equally around the world. Wealthier countries often report more diagnosed cases because screening programs detect cancers earlier.
However, poorer countries frequently experience higher death rates because many people cannot receive early diagnosis or modern treatment. These healthcare differences explain why survival can vary greatly between regions.
Lung cancer continued to cause the largest number of new cases and deaths worldwide, with smoking remaining its biggest risk factor. Breast cancer was the most common cancer affecting women. Colorectal cancer ranked among the leading causes of illness and death in both men and women.
Liver, prostate, stomach, cervical, pancreatic, and thyroid cancers also contributed heavily to the global burden. The report drew attention to cervical cancer because it is largely preventable through HPV vaccination and regular screening, yet it remains a leading cause of death for women in many countries.
The authors believe prevention offers enormous opportunities. They estimate that almost half of cancer deaths could be avoided by reducing exposure to known risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol, obesity, physical inactivity, and infections linked with cancer. Expanding vaccination programs, improving screening, and ensuring timely treatment could further reduce deaths.
The research was published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
Overall, this report provides one of the clearest pictures yet of the worldwide cancer burden. Because it combines data from 186 countries, it gives governments and health experts valuable information for planning future cancer care. However, the report is based on population estimates and cannot predict exactly what will happen in every country.
Even so, the findings strongly suggest that many future cancer cases and deaths could be prevented through proven public health measures, earlier diagnosis, wider access to screening, vaccination programs, and timely treatment.
The message is clear: population growth will increase the number of cancer cases, but better prevention and more equal access to healthcare could save millions of lives.
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