Background: Incremental improvements in early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer have led to an increasing number of cancer survivors worldwide. Existing cancer prevalence statistics however have seldom focused on specific phase-of-care pathways essential to inform cancer survivors’ and healthcare needs. Methods: We estimated 5-year cancer prevalence in 186 countries in 2024 using available estimates of cancer incidence and survival by cancer type, time since diagnosis, sex for ages at diagnosis > 15 years. We defined three clinically distinct phases of care: (a) the initial phase of treatment; (b) the phase from initial treatment to end-of-life care where patients are followed-up; and (c) the “end-of-life” phase. These were calculated by first partitioning the 1-year survival to either treatment (if the patient was alive), or end-of-life (if the patient died). For the remaining four years, we then assigned cases to the follow-up phase if they were alive, or end-of-life, if they died from cancer or other causes. Results: The 5-year prevalence was estimated to be approximately 52.4 million, indicating 1% of the global adult population were living within five years of a diagnosis in 2024. Around 22.9% (12/52 million) of prevalent cases were in diagnosis and treatment, 65.5% (34/52 million) in follow-up and 11.6% (6/52 million) were at the end-of-life phases. Female breast, colorectal and prostate cancers were the most prevalent cancer types contributing 43% (23/52 million) of the total prevalent cases, with almost three-quarters of the prevalent cases in the follow-up phase. On the other hand, lung cancer, the fourth most prevalent cancer, had a larger proportion of prevalent cases (4.1 million) in the end-of-life phase (32%, 1.3/4.1 million). Cancer prevalence as a proportion was higher in very high versus low Human Development Index (HDI) countries (2,608 vs. 417 survivors per 100,000 respectively), yet the proportion in the end-of-life phase was higher among low HDI countries (8% vs. 12% of all prevalent cases in very high vs low HDI, respectively). Interpretation: Among the 52 million cancer survivors estimated in 2024, there are substantial variations in cancer survivorship at different phases of care, driven by distinct cancer profiles coupled with survival disparities. This study highlights the need for equitable access to early detection, timely diagnosis and comprehensive care to improve survival and quality of life cancer survivors worldwide.
This article provides updated global cancer statistics for the year 2024 based on the GLOBOCAN estimates of the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The authors describe national cancer incidence and mortality by world region and the Human Development Index and predict the burden in 2050 based on demographic trends. In 2024, an estimated 20.6 million new cancer cases (19.5 million excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer) and 9.8 million deaths (9.7 million excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer) occurred worldwide, equivalent to one in five people developing cancer during their lifetime and one in nine men and one in 13 women dying from the disease. Lung cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer, responsible for almost 2.6 million new cases (12.8%), followed by female breast (11.8%), colorectal (9.9%), prostate (7.5%), and stomach (4.7%) cancer. Lung cancer is also the leading cause of cancer death, with an estimated 1.9 million deaths (19.1%), followed by colorectal (9.4%), liver (7.5%), female breast (7.1%), and stomach (6.6%) cancer. Incidence rates vary four- to five-fold across regions, with the highest rates found in Australia/New Zealand (men, 477 per 100,000; women, 396 per 100,000), whereas mortality rates differ two-fold, with elevated rates in Eastern Europe for men (158 per 100,000) and Melanesia for women (108 per 100,000). The incidence burden is predicted to reach 34.4 million by 2050, up 67% from 2024, with the largest proportional increases in lower Human Development Index countries. Although global variation in cancer profiles demands a nuanced approach to cancer control at national and regional levels, primary prevention must be at the forefront, including intensified efforts to reduce tobacco use, prevent infections, lower alcohol consumption and excess body weight, and increase physical activity.
Increasing incidence rates of early-onset colorectal cancer (ie, <50 years of age) have been reported across multiple countries. We investigated long-term cancer incidence data from 1995 or earlier from Australia, Canada, England, and the United States separately by sex. Estimated annual percentage change and age-period-cohort models were used to assess trends by country and sex. All countries showed increasing early-onset colorectal cancer incidence in successive birth cohorts since 1960, with individuals born in the 1990s facing at least 4-fold higher risks than individuals born in the 1960s. Cohort effects were observed across all countries, with sharper increases at younger ages. Over the most recent decade, the estimated annual percentage change ranged from 3.4% in Australia and the United States to 4.5% in England, with steep rises before age 40 years. The emergence of these trends from ages 20 to 29 years suggests that contributing factors may originate early in life and reflect exposures whose effect begin in youth and accumulate throughout the lifespan.
Increases in colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence among young adults were reported in 27 countries/territories worldwide, yet information on mortality trends is limited. Using the WHO Mortality database (1990 to 2023), we found CRC mortality rates among younger adults (25 to 49 years) increased in 18 of 49 countries (0.7-4.3%/year) during the most recent decade, decreased in 15, and were otherwise stable. Trends ranged from decreases of > 2%/year in Singapore, Belgium, and Denmark to increases of > 3%/year in Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, and the UK. In half of the countries with increasing trends, rates in older adults (50 to 79 years) were stable (Colombia, Philippines, Croatia [women only]) or decreasing (Uruguay, the U.K., Australia, Canada, the U.S., Argentina). In the remainders-primarily in Latin America/the Caribbean-mortality rose in both groups. Increasing CRC mortality among younger adults may signal a growing future burden, reinforcing the need for etiologic investigation and heightened awareness to avert deaths through earlier detection.
Supplementary Table from The Current Burden of Oropharyngeal Cancer: A Global Assessment Based on GLOBOCAN 2020
Laryngeal cancer shows considerable variation in global incidence, which has primarily been studied through national estimates. This study aims to analyse the global incidence of laryngeal cancer, comparing estimated and high-quality recorded data, and examine temporal trends to inform targeted prevention strategies. Estimated incidence rates for 2022 were obtained from the GLOBOCAN 2022 database for 185 countries. Recorded incidence data from population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) for the five-years period 2013-2017 were sourced from Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5-XII). Temporal trends and the Estimated Annual Percent Change were assessed for 34 countries using the Global Cancer Observatory - Cancer Over Time database. The highest estimated age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) were observed in Cuba, Moldova, and Romania, particularly among males: 14.8, 12.2, and 10.3 per 100,000, respectively. Recorded data showed significant regional variability, with the highest ASIRs for males in Pskov, Russia (13.3 per 100,000) and the Azores, Portugal (11.8 per 100,000). Most countries exhibited a decline in laryngeal cancer rates among males, while trends among females remained largely stable. Our findings underscore the importance of PBCRs in identifying high-risk populations for developing laryngeal cancer. While national estimates are essential for understanding the global distribution of laryngeal cancer and other malignancies, they may overlook subnational variations. Expanding the coverage and quality of PBCRs is crucial for improving cancer surveillance and enhancing prevention and control efforts at national and global level.
Background Multiple myeloma (MM) is an important hematological malignancy in older adults, with a relatively poor prognosis. We aimed to present the current global patterns of incidence and mortality from MM, and predict new cancer cases and deaths by 2045.Methods Estimated numbers of MM cases and deaths and age-standardized (World) incidence and mortality rates per 100 000 people were obtained from the GLOBOCAN 2022 database covering 185 countries. Based on the incidence and mortality rates for 2022 and UN population estimates up to 2045, cases and deaths were predicted up to 2045.Findings Globally, 188 000 MM cases and 121 000 deaths were estimated in 2022. Eastern Asia and Northern America accounted for one-fifth of all cases each (21% and 19% respectively), followed by South-Central Asia (11%), and Western Europe (9%). The incidence rates were higher in men than in women with similar geographical patterns. While the incidence rates were highest in Northern America and Australia/New Zealand (>= 4/100 000 for both sexes combined), the highest mortality rates (1.8/100 000) were found in Australia/New Zealand, Northern Europe, and Southern Africa. In the absence of changing rates, the estimated incidence and mortality of MM will increase by 71% and 79%, respectively by 2045 relative to 2022.Interpretation Our study highlights the substantial burden and variations in MM incidence and mortality reflecting global disparities in diagnosis and treatment. Improved surveillance and better disease control is needed to mitigate the global impact of MM in the presence of population aging and growth.
Supplementary Figure 1. Age-standardized mortality rates per 100,000 person-years and ten-year average annual percent change in stomach cancer in males (A) and females (B) in 47 countries.
Supplementary Table 1. Country and time-period available for trend analysis of cancer mortality
Supplementary Figure 2. Age-standardized mortality rates per 100,000 person-years and ten-year average annual percent change in cervical cancer in 47 countries.
Background and objective Our aim was to examine worldwide patterns and trends for prostate cancer (PC) incidence and mortality using high-quality, up-to-date, population-based data. Methods We analyzed age-standardized PC incidence and mortality rates by country and region from the 2022 GLOBOCAN estimates and temporal trends in incidence (50 countries/territories) and mortality (59 countries/territories) rates using data from the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents series and the World Health Organization mortality database. Key findings and limitations Estimated PC rates across regions in 2022 varied 13-fold for incidence and 9.5-fold for mortality. The highest incidence rates were in Australia/New Zealand, North America, Northern Europe, and Latin America/Caribbean. The highest mortality rates were in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America/Caribbean. During the most recent 5-yr period, incidence rates increased in 11 of the 50 countries included in the study and mortality rates increased in nine of 59 countries, mostly located in Africa, Asia, Latin America/Caribbean, and Central and Eastern Europe. Mortality rates decreased in 38 countries, largely located in Europe, Oceania, and Latin America/Caribbean. Limitations include the lack of data for low- and middle-income countries. Conclusions and clinical implications The increase in PC incidence and mortality rates in many countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America/Caribbean may be because of increases in detection (incidence) and limited access to and availability of treatments (mortality only). The findings reinforce the importance of improving the health care infrastructure in these countries to mitigate the rising burden of PC.
BACKGROUND:Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in southeast Asia. We aimed to present and interpret cancer incidence and mortality statistics in the 11 constituent countries of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam to inform research priorities, health services, and cancer policy. METHODS:The number of new incident cases and deaths for all cancers combined and for leading cancers were extracted from the GLOBOCAN 2022 database developed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer for the 11 countries in southeast Asia. For comparison, we extracted estimates from China, India, Japan, Pakistan, South Korea, and the USA. We estimated age-standardised incidence rates (ASIRs) and age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) per 100 000 person-years; projections to 2050 were also estimated by multiplying ASIR and ASMR estimates for 2022 by the expected population for 2050. Data on race or ethnicity were not collected. FINDINGS:Data were extracted on Dec 5, 2024. For the 11 countries in southeast Asia for all cancers combined, 545 725 (47·6%) of a total of 1 146 810 incident cases were estimated in men and 601 085 (52·4%) incident cases were estimated in women in 2022. In the same period, 385 430 (53·8%) of a total of 716 116 deaths were estimated in men and 330 686 (46·2%) deaths were estimated in women. The total cancer ASIR in men and women was highest in Singapore (235·89 per 100 000 and 231·01 per 100 000 respectively), while the corresponding ASMR was greatest in Laos for men (132·91 per 100 000) and Brunei for women (104·20 per 100 000). Breast cancer was the most common cancer among women in all countries (highest ASIRs in Singapore [72·61 per 100 000] and the Philippines [60·34 per 100 000]), and the most common cause of cancer mortality among women in the Philippines (ASMR 21·47 per 100 000), Malaysia (19·30 per 100 000), Singapore (17·82 per 100 000), Viet Nam (14·67 per 100 000), Indonesia (14·35 per 100 000), and Timor-Leste (10·24 per 100 000). Among men, lung cancer was the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the Philippines (ASIR 37·66 per 100 000), Malaysia (23·23 per 100 000), Myanmar (21·59 per 100 000), and Indonesia (21·30 per 100 000), and the leading cause of death due to cancer in the Philippines (ASMR 33·59 per 100 000), Singapore (31·94 per 100 000), Brunei (23·84 per 100 000), Malaysia (20·42 per 100 000), Myanmar (19·91 per 100 000), Indonesia (18·96 per 100 000), and Timor-Leste (12·95 per 100 000). Liver cancer contributed the greatest incidence and mortality in men in Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam, and Thailand, and was also the leading cause of death due to cancer among women in Laos (ASMR 13·49 per 100 000), Cambodia (13·34 per 100 000), and Thailand (12·14 per 100 000). Cervical cancer was the leading cause of death due to cancer in women in Myanmar (ASMR 13·37 per 100 000); colorectal cancer was the most common cancer in men in Singapore (ASIR 39·41 per 100 00) and Brunei (37·70 per 100 000). By 2050, 2·03 million new cases of cancer are anticipated in southeast Asia annually, an 89·2% increase in men and a 65·6% increase in women, relative to 2022. INTERPRETATION:The current patterns of cancer incidence and mortality in southeast Asia are primarily driven by breast cancer in women and lung cancer in men, but infection-related cancers (liver and cervix) are common in some countries. Regional collaborations must be strengthened to improve cancer prevention, diagnosis, care, and research in southeast Asia. FUNDING:National Cancer Institute and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Background Previous studies have shown that colorectal cancer incidence is increasing among younger adults (aged <50 years) in multiple high-income western countries in contrast with stabilising or decreasing trends in incidence in older adults (aged >= 50 years). This study aimed to investigate contemporary colorectal cancer incidence trends in younger adults versus older adults. Methods Colorectal cancer incidence data, including year of diagnosis, sex, and 5-year age group for 50 countries and territories, were extracted from the WHO-International Agency for Research on Cancer Cancer Incidence in Five Continents Plus database. The Human Development Index 2022 was retrieved from the United Nations Development Programme and grouped into very high (>080), high (070-079), medium (055-069), and low (<055) categories. Age-standardised incidence rates (ASR) per 100 000 person-years of early-onset (diagnosed between ages 25 to 49 years) and late-onset (diagnosed between ages 50 to 74 years) colorectal cancer (ICD 10th revision, C18-20), diagnosed between 1943-2003 and 2015-17, were calculated using the direct method and Segi-Doll world standard population). The primary study objective was to examine contemporary colorectal cancer incidence trends in younger adults versus older adults using data until 2017 from 50 countries and territories. Temporal trends were visualised and quantified with joinpoint regression, stratified by age at diagnosis (25-49 years or 50-74 years). Average annual percentage changes (AAPC) were estimated. Findings In the most recent 5 years (2013-17 for all countries analysed, except for Japan [2011-15], Spain [2012-16], and Costa Rica [2012-16]), the incidence rate of early-onset colorectal cancer was highest in Australia (ASR 165 [95% CI 161-169]), the USA (Puerto Rico; 152 [142-162]), New Zealand (148 [140-156]), the USA (148 [147-149]), and South Korea (143 [140-145]) and lowest in Uganda (44 [36-52]) and India (35 [33-37]). The highest incidence rates among older adults were found in the Netherlands (168 center dot 4 [1669-1700]) and Denmark (158 center dot 3 [1558-1609]) and the lowest were in Uganda (45 center dot 9 [385-514]) and India (23 center dot 5 [228-243]). In terms of AAPC, in the most recent 10 years, incidence rates of early-onset colorectal cancer were stable in 23 countries, but increased in 27 countries with the greatest annual increases in New Zealand (AAPC 397% [95% CI 244-552]), Chile (396% [126-674]), Puerto Rico (381% [268-496]), and England (359% [312-406]). 14 of the 27 countries and territories showed either stable (Argentina, France, Ireland, Norway, and Puerto Rico) or decreasing (Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, Slovenia, England, Scotland, and the USA) trends in older adults. For the 13 countries with increasing trends in both age groups, the average annual percentage increase in younger compared to older adults was higher in Chile, Japan, Sweden, the Netherlands, Croatia, and Finland; lower in Thailand, France (Martinique), Denmark, and Costa Rica; and similar in T & uuml;rkiye, Ecuador, and Belarus. The rise in early-onset colorectal cancer was faster among men than women in Chile, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Ecuador, Thailand, Sweden, Israel, and Croatia, whereas faster increase among women compared to men was in England, Norway, Australia, T & uuml;rkiye, Costa Rica, and Scotland. Interpretation Early-onset colorectal cancer incidence rates are rising in 27 of 50 countries and territories examined, with the rise either exclusive to early-onset disease or faster than the increase in older adults in 20 of the 27 countries. The findings underscore the need for intensified efforts to identify factors driving these trends and increase awareness to help facilitate early detection. Copyright (c) 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license
Supplementary Table 2. Age-standardized mortality rate (ASR) per 100,000 person-years, 10-year average annual percent change (AAPC), and 5-year AAPC for 8 cancers by sex for 47 countries (bold font indicates statistically significant AAPC at p<0.05)
This article presents global cancer statistics by world region for the year 2022 based on updated estimates from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). There were close to 20 million new cases of cancer in the year 2022 (including nonmelanoma skin cancers [NMSCs]) alongside 9.7 million deaths from cancer (including NMSC). The estimates suggest that approximately one in five men or women develop cancer in a lifetime, whereas around one in nine men and one in 12 women die from it. Lung cancer was the most frequently diagnosed cancer in 2022, responsible for almost 2.5 million new cases, or one in eight cancers worldwide (12.4% of all cancers globally), followed by cancers of the female breast (11.6%), colorectum (9.6%), prostate (7.3%), and stomach (4.9%). Lung cancer was also the leading cause of cancer death, with an estimated 1.8 million deaths (18.7%), followed by colorectal (9.3%), liver (7.8%), female breast (6.9%), and stomach (6.8%) cancers. Breast cancer and lung cancer were the most frequent cancers in women and men, respectively (both cases and deaths). Incidence rates (including NMSC) varied from four-fold to five-fold across world regions, from over 500 in Australia/New Zealand (507.9 per 100,000) to under 100 in Western Africa (97.1 per 100,000) among men, and from over 400 in Australia/New Zealand (410.5 per 100,000) to close to 100 in South-Central Asia (103.3 per 100,000) among women. The authors examine the geographic variability across 20 world regions for the 10 leading cancer types, discussing recent trends, the underlying determinants, and the prospects for global cancer prevention and control. With demographics-based predictions indicating that the number of new cases of cancer will reach 35 million by 2050, investments in prevention, including the targeting of key risk factors for cancer (including smoking, overweight and obesity, and infection), could avert millions of future cancer diagnoses and save many lives worldwide, bringing huge economic as well as societal dividends to countries over the forthcoming decades.