WHO Warns 10 Million Cancer Deaths Persist as Care Gaps Widen Despite Scientific Gains
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 8
WHO Warns 10 Million Cancer Deaths Persist as Care Gaps Widen Despite Scientific Gains
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 8
Summary
20.6 million cancer cases and 10 million deaths occur each year, yet WHO said advances in cancer science have changed little for millions facing unequal access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care.
85% of breast or childhood cancer patients survive at least five years in richer countries, versus under 30% in poorer ones; in low- and lower-middle-income countries, only 9% to 54% of WHO priority cancer drugs are available.
23 countries have no radiation facilities, two-thirds do not include cancer in universal health coverage, and treatment costs push abandonment rates as high as 90% in some settings, the report said.
Nearly 35 million annual cases are projected by 2050, even as WHO highlighted progress including a credible path to eliminating cervical cancer, falling tobacco use and evidence that 4 in 10 new cases are tied to preventable risks.