Breast cancer cells have metastasized to the liver
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Global cancer deaths are expected to nearly double by 2050, primarily due to increases in low- and middle-income countries.
Habtamu Bizuayehu The professor at the University of Queensland in Australia and his team made the discovery by looking at the latest data on cases and mortality for 36 cancer types in 185 countries from the Global Cancer Observatory database. They then applied these ratios to the United Nations Development Program’s 2050 population projections to predict future cases and deaths.
They found that the total number of cancer cases worldwide is expected to increase by nearly 77% between 2022 and 2050, which means that there will be 15.3 million new cases in 2050, based on 20 million cases in 2022. Global cancer deaths are also expected to increase by nearly 90% during this period, resulting in 8.8 million more deaths in 2050 than in 2022, with 9.7 million people dying from the disease.
The largest increases are expected among countries ranked in the middle and low categories on the United Nations Human Development Index, which is based on average life expectancy, education levels and per capita income. On average, cancer cases and deaths are expected to nearly triple by 2050 in low-scoring countries such as Niger and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, countries with high scores, such as Norway, are expected to see an average increase in cases and deaths of more than 42% and 56% respectively.
This strengthens other evidence that Cancer cases are on the rise,explain Andrew Chen researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who was not involved in the study. He said there could be several factors contributing to this, including people living longer, which increases the risk of cancer. However, this work did not take into account the emergence of new or more effective treatments.
Less developed countries are likely to see the greatest growth due to “the so-called Westernization of their populations,” Chen said. “Some habits that we have traditionally associated with higher cancer risk, such as rising obesity rates and poor dietary habits, are becoming a trend in low- and middle-income countries.”
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