Cancer to hit 92% of world: WHO
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Live Events as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Addas a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now! (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Nearly everyone on the planet will feel the impact of cancer at some point in their lives, either through a personal diagnosis or through a loved one's illness, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said in its first-ever global survey of people affected by the disease.One in five people will develop cancer themselves. But once the ripple effects on families are counted in, roughly 92% of all people globally will be touched by the disease at least once in their lifetime, according to the Global Status Report on Cancer 2026, released on July 8 by WHO and its cancer agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).The world recorded an estimated 20.6 million new cancer cases and close to 10 million deaths in the past year, making cancer the second leading cause of death globally after cardiovascular disease. The disease claims more than 26,000 lives every single day, the report noted.Left unchecked, annual cancer cases are projected to surge to nearly 35 million by 2050, more than 40% higher than current numbers.India figures among six countries that together account for two in every five children worldwide who lose their mothers to cancer, the report said, with breast and cervical cancers responsible for a large share of these deaths, nearly half of which occurred in Asia.India is among six countries that account for two in every five children worldwide who lose their mothers to cancer, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Status Report on Cancer 2026.
The report said nearly half of such children were in Asia, with breast and cervical cancers accounting for a large share of these deaths.Beyond the medical toll, the report paints a stark picture of cancer's human cost. At least 45% of those affected report financial hardship, more than half report mental health struggles, and nearly all caregivers describe some form of strain, from unpaid caregiving duties to prolonged grief and social isolation.Roughly half of patients and their families face catastrophic health expenditure. Even in countries with universal health coverage, indirect costs such as lost income, transport and childcare can prove financially devastating. Globally, the economic burden of cancer between 2020 and 2050 is estimated to be equivalent to an annual 0.55% tax on world GDP.WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said cancer is a deeply personal disease that touches nearly everyone, but added that survival should never hinge on geography or income. He said the inequities documented in the report stem from policy choices, and can be reversed.The report's starkest finding may be the survival gap between rich and poor nations. In high-income countries, 87% of women diagnosed with breast cancer survive five years on. In low-income countries, that figure crashes to just 42%.Fewer than one in three countries currently fold cancer care into their universal health coverage packages, and only 28% include even a minimum cancer management package in their benefits.Access to medicines tells a similar story.
The BriefWire