The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the number of new cancer cases worldwide could rise to nearly 35 million annually by 2050 if urgent action is not taken to improve prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment. This warning comes from the Global Status Report on Cancer 2026, produced in collaboration with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a specialized WHO agency.
Currently, cancer causes over 26,000 deaths daily, with an estimated 20.6 million new cases and nearly 10 million deaths each year, making it the world's second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease. The report highlights significant disparities in cancer survival rates between high- and low-income countries. For example, 87% of women diagnosed with breast cancer in high-income countries survive at least five years, compared to about 42% in low-income countries.
WHO estimates that nearly 40% of cancer cases are linked to preventable risk factors such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption, obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, and infections like human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B and C. Despite some reductions in cancer rates where prevention policies have been implemented, progress remains too slow.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that survival should not depend on a person's birthplace or income, stating, “the inequities documented in this report are not inevitable; they are the consequence of choices, and they can be reversed through stronger and unified action.”
Clarissa Schilstra, a childhood cancer survivor who helped lead WHO's global survey, remarked, “Cancer is not just a medical diagnosis – it profoundly, indefinitely affects every aspect of a person's life, and their family's as well.”
The report also notes that the cancer profile is evolving, increasingly driven by rising rates of obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, and air pollution, underscoring that cancer prevention must remain a political priority.
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