The Burden

For every 10 premature deaths (ages 30-69 years) from noncommunicable disease today, four are due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and three are due to cancer. As countries undergo societal and economic transition, these two diseases become the leading causes of death in every country (Map 12.1); in most countries, cancer eventually surpasses CVD as the leading cause in this age group, given the relatively greater impact of prevention and treatment in reducing CVD mortality.

Cancer is expected to surpass heart disease as the leading cause of premature death in every country of the world in this century.

Of the 20 million new cases and 9.7 million cancer deaths occurring each year, nearly one-half of all cases (52%) and a majority (56%) of cancer deaths are diagnosed in Asia, where close to 60% of the world’s population reside (Figure 12.1). Africa accounts for 6% of the worldwide cases but for almost 8% of the deaths largely due to inadequate early detection and treatment services.

Lung cancer is currently the most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide (13% of the total cases), followed by cancers of the female breast (12%), colorectum (10%), prostate (8%), and stomach (5%) (Figure 12.2). It is also the leading cause of cancer death (19% of the total cancer deaths), followed by colorectal (9%), liver (8%), female breast (7%) and stomach (7%) cancers.

Lung cancer represents 1 in 8 cancer cases and 1 in 5 cancer-related deaths worldwide.

In women, breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death, while lung cancer is the most frequent cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among men (Figure 12.3).

Based on projected population ageing and growth, and assuming incidence and mortality rates remain unchanged, by 2050, the global burden is set to increase by 74% to 32.6 million new cancer cases and by 90% to 18.3 million cancer deaths (Figure 12.4).