Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Dec 9: A scientist working on the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) cancer study has raised an urgent alarm over the scale of the crisis, describing the findings as “hard to process” even for researchers accustomed to massive datasets. The global study, spanning 204 countries, highlights an accelerating rise in cancer cases—especially in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa—unless decisive action is taken.

The GBD 2023 Cancer Collaboration, a worldwide network of scientists, tracked cancer trends from 1990 to 2023 and projected the global burden up to 2050. The study overturns the long-held belief that cancer is predominantly a disease of wealthy nations. Instead, it shows that low- and middle-income countries are now bearing the heaviest burden as their populations age and lifestyles change without parallel improvements in screening, diagnosis or treatment infrastructure.

In 2023 alone, the study estimated 18.5 million new cancer cases and 10.4 million deaths, with nearly one in six global deaths caused by cancer. Over two-thirds of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income regions, reflecting huge gaps in access to healthcare.

Researchers found that 41.7% of cancer deaths in 2023 were linked to modifiable risks such as tobacco use, alcohol, poor diets, high BMI, air pollution and harmful workplace or environmental exposures. Scientists stress that prevention is shaped not just by individual choices but by political decisions about food systems, air quality, urban planning and workplace safety.

Using more than three decades of data, the team projected a stark future: by 2050, the world could see 30.5 million new cancer cases and 18.6 million annual deaths — almost double today’s numbers. Population growth and ageing contribute, but rising exposure to carcinogenic environments, urbanisation and changing lifestyles are also accelerating the trend.

The study warns that cancer is increasingly affecting younger people as well, disrupting education, jobs, family life and financial stability, making cancer a societal crisis rather than a purely medical one.

Experts argue that the crisis can still be mitigated. Governments must invest in early diagnosis and expand screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers, which save lives but remain scarce in many countries. Stronger tobacco control, air-quality regulations, obesity-reduction strategies and workplace protections are urgently needed. Health systems also require expansion—from pathology labs and trained oncology professionals to affordable, reliable treatments.

Robust cancer registries, researchers stress, are essential to track progress and design effective interventions.

While the projections are alarming, scientists emphasise that they are warnings, not inevitabilities. With strong political will, community engagement and sustained global action, the next 25 years could reshape the world’s cancer trajectory.