Freddie Bray

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.

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.

Background and purpose: Cancer mortality rates in the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) exceeds the European Union (EU) average, in part due to limited access to radiation therapy (RT). We updated RT capacity and utilization to inform regional planning.Patient/material and methods: We conducted a census of all 11 RT centres (2016–2023) via a standardized questionnaire, cross-validated with national registries and international databases. We compared technology availability, workforce, and utilization with EU countries in relation to the present cancer burden and projections to 2050. This multicentre observational study adhered to STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines.Results: Only 35–42% of cancer patients received RT, below the 50% recommendation. Linear accelerator availability ranged from 3.8 to 5.1 per million inhabitants, figures that are almost half those seen in EU countries with higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. While the use of intensity modulated RT, volumetric modulated arc therapy and stereotactic RT increased, staffing levels has remained static in recent years. Mortality-to-incidence ratio correlated negatively with GDP (r = –0.7) and RT capacity (r = –0.7).Interpretation: Despite technological progress in the Baltic States, major gaps persist in RT access and workforce levels. Baltic States still underperform compared to EU countries with higher GDP per capita in terms of equipment availability, workforce capacity, and overall cancer outcomes. Future-oriented strategic investments, based on regional collaboration and shared infrastructure are urgently needed, including the development of a regional particle therapy centre, to ensure equitable access to state-of-the art advanced cancer care across the Baltic States.

Background: The global rise in cancer incidence and survivorship is contributing to escalating health-care expenditure. Yet comprehensive and internationally comparable data on direct cancer costs worldwide remain scarce, limiting insights into cross-country spending patterns, their relationship to cancer outcomes, and future cost trajectories. Methods: We assembled data on direct cancer costs up to the year 2022 from academic journals, government statistical reports, and the grey literature. Drawing from 19 sources in 39 countries, we estimated total, per-patient, and per-capita cancer expenditure in US dollars (US$) by cancer type, assessing associations between spending and cancer outcomes, alongside recent trends. Results: Annual cancer costs varied substantially and reflected differences in national income, ranging from US$1989 per diagnosis (Ethiopia) to US$129 494 per diagnosis (United States). Annual costs per capita ranged from US$1.43 (Ethiopia) to US$713 (United States). Annual expenditure was positively correlated with survival for most cancers but showed diminishing returns in high-income countries. Moreover, expenditure had no apparent relation with overall cancer mortality. Where data were available, spending patterns by cancer type reflected country-specific incidence profiles. Across all countries, the 4 costliest cancers accounted for one-third to almost one-half (37%-48%) of direct cancer costs. In countries with reliable time series, costs rose steadily over time, with growth rates ranging from 1.4% (Japan, 2009-2022) to 9.3% (Republic of Korea, 2004-2022). These increases consistently outpaced gross domestic product growth by 1.0%-7.7% over the respective observation periods. Conclusion: Greater reforms to cancer control, and health-care more broadly, are required to ensure long-term fiscal sustainability while maximizing population health outcomes.

This study provides an update on global patterns and trends in kidney cancer incidence and mortality. We used the most recent GLOBOCAN estimates, based on the best available data sources, including population‐based cancer registries (PBCRs), to compare incidence and mortality in 185 countries or territories in 2022 and to assess time trends based on recorded PBCR and vital statistics data in 71 countries. Incidence age‐standardised rates (ASRs) varied 10‐fold across UN regions and 20‐fold at the country level in 2022. Kidney cancer ASRs were consistently higher in males than females and ranged from 1.6 per 100,000 in low Human Development Index (HDI) countries to 12.6 in very high HDI countries among men and from 1.1 to 5.9 among women. The highest ASRs in males were in Belarus (22.9), Uruguay (20.5), and Latvia (19.2), and in females in Latvia (9.5), Uruguay (8.7), USA (8.7). While the patterns were similar for mortality, variations were less pronounced. The mortality‐to‐incidence ratio was lowest in Oceania (0.2) and highest in Africa (0.7). Over the past 15 years, incidence ASRs have tended to increase or stabilise in most European countries, Northern America and Oceania, but increased in Asia and Latin America. Mortality ASRs decreased in most countries, but increased in Portugal, Romania, Moldova, the Philippines, Malaysia and in 9 of 14 countries in Latin America. Regional variations in incidence call for a greater focus on risk factors amenable to prevention, coupled with an assessment of the role of diagnostics. The varied mortality patterns indicate present treatment inequalities.