Cancer cases will surge 77% by 2050

[New Sancai compilation first release]

As the world's population ages, a new report warns that the number of cancer patients could increase by 77% by 2050 (compared to 2022 figures).

In a report published Thursday in the journal CA: A Journal of Clinicians' Cancer, researchers from the American Cancer Society found that there will be approximately 20 million cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths in 2022, the latest year for which data are available. Cancer death.

However, "we believe that by 2050, this number will reach 35 million, mainly due to the increasing aging population," Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer of the American Cancer Society, told CNN.

"Many of the drivers of cancer that have traditionally been seen in high-income countries, such as tobacco and obesity, these same cancer drivers are now moving into low-income countries," Dahout noted. "These countries don't have the early detection, treatment, and cancer prevention methods that other countries often use."

The good news, experts say, is that lifestyle changes can minimize these risk factors.

"More than half of cancer deaths worldwide are preventable, and prevention provides the most cost-effective and sustainable strategy for controlling cancer," said Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, senior scholar and senior vice president of surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society (ACS). said the press release. "Eliminating tobacco use alone could prevent a quarter of cancer deaths, or about 2.6 million people each year."

Another expert agreed.

Dr. Bilal Siddiqui, an oncologist and assistant professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, told CNN that while the causes of cancer can be complex and may be hereditary or environmental, " About 50% of cancers are preventable."

"All patients should talk to their doctor to ensure they receive age-appropriate cancer screening and it is important to make lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of cancer, including quitting smoking, reducing alcohol consumption and staying active," he said.

In the new report, the researchers cited global cancer incidence and death data from the World Health Organization's database (Global Cancer Observatory).

What does the data show?

The most common cancers are lung cancer, female breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, thyroid cancer, cervical cancer, bladder cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (lymphoma), the report said. Lung cancer is also the leading cause of cancer death, followed by colon cancer, liver cancer, female breast cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer and leukemia.

Tobacco remains "the leading cause of lung cancer," the report said.

"While we do see that lung cancer is not related to smoking, the leading cause of lung cancer is smoking. Clearly, there is much work to be done to continue to address smoking in the United States and around the world," said Dr. said oncologist Dr. Harold Burstein.

"There are other things people can do to reduce cancer mortality or have better outcomes, including early cancer screening. In the United States, we have great opportunities for screening through mammograms, colonoscopies and Pap smears. inspections, but many people are not taking full advantage of these measures," he said. "In more developed economies such as the United States, we see significant declines in breast and colon cancer mortality, about half of which may be due to early detection."

But Dr. Burstein noted that cancer is becoming "a bigger health problem" in low- and middle-income areas of the world.

"Cancer is like a wave sweeping through their community," he said. "In sub-Saharan Africa, in most of Africa, mammograms are not performed. In China, mammograms are not performed. In many parts of the world, routine colonoscopies are not performed."

"Therefore, facing soaring cancer rates, the need for early detection and screening, and the complex treatment and care of cancer patients will be a huge challenge for an already stretched healthcare system," he added.

(Compiled by: Li Mingming)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: Compiled and published by New Sancai)