By 2050, cancer cases and deaths among men are projected to rise dramatically, with cases increasing by 84 per cent and deaths by 93 per cent, according to a new study published in the medical journal Cancer . The research published Monday analyzed some 30 cancer types across 185 countries and found that between 2022 and 2050, cancer cases among men are projected to increase from 10.3 million to 19 million.
Cancer deaths are estimated to grow from 5.4 million to 10.5 million, with a greater than two-fold increase among men aged 65 years and older.
“A national and international collaboration, as well as a coordinated multisectoral approach, are essential to improve current cancer outcomes and to reverse the anticipated rise in cancer burden by 2050,” said lead author Habtamu Mellie Bizuayehu, and epidemiologist at the University of Queensland in Australia. “Implementing and expanding universal health coverage and expanding health infrastructure and establishing publicly funded medical schools and scholarships for training medical and public health staff can improve cancer care and equity,” he said in a Monday news release. Globally, cancer is the second leading cause of premature death after cardiovascular diseases, but is projected to be the leading cause of death by the end of this century, the study said.
In Canada, cancer was the leading cause of death in 2021, accounting for over one-quarter of all deaths that year, followed by heart disease at 17.7 per cent, acco.