Global cancer toll to reach 10 million in 2018 despite better prevention and treatment

The rise in the number of cancer deaths is due to more people living sedentary lifestyles in developing countries, say experts, although better prevention and earlier diagnosis are cutting mortality in some cancers

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A cancer cell. Deaths from cancer are expected to hit 10 million in 2018. Photo: Alamy

Published: 8:00pm, 14 Sep 2018Updated: 8:00pm, 14 Sep 2018

Cancer will kill nearly 10 million people this year, experts said this week, and warned that the disease’s global burden continues to rise in spite of better prevention and earlier diagnosis.

An estimated 18.1 million new cancer cases, and 9.6 million deaths, were predicted worldwide for 2018 in a report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). This is up from the estimated 14.1 million new cancer cases and 8.2 million deaths reported in the agency’s last assessment six years ago.

The toll is rising as populations expand and grow older, and people in developing nations adopt unhealthy, high-risk lifestyles traditionally associated with richer economies.

Cancer deaths are on the increase despite better screening and treatment. Photo: Alamy

An increased focus on prevention – encouraging people to exercise, quit smoking, and eat a healthy diet – led to a drop in certain types of cancer in some population groups, say the IARC. Yet the overall number of new cases is racing ahead of efforts to contain the disease.

“These new figures highlight that much remains to be done to address the alarming rise in the cancer burden globally and that prevention has a key role to play,” says IARC director Christopher Wild.

Christopher Wild is the director at the International Agency for Research on Cancer.