The story so far: The Global Status Report on Cancer 2026, recently released (July 8, 2026), by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), said that cancer remains the second leading cause of death globally after cardiovascular disease, with an estimated 20.6 million new cases and close to 10 million deaths annually. This first-ever survey of people affected by cancer warned that, without action, annual cases of cancer are projected to rise to nearly 35 million by 2050.
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What is new in the report
The report found that worldwide cancer remains one of the most financially and socially devastating challenges a household can face. At least 45% of affected people experience financial hardship, more than half report mental health challenges, and nearly all caregivers report strain, including unpaid services and social isolation.
Essential cancer medicines remain far out of reach for many — the availability of the top 20 priority cancer medicines ranges from just 9% to 54% in low- and lower-middle-income countries, compared with 68% to 94% in high-income countries.
Also cancer is increasingly a driver of premature mortality, and in 2021, was the leading cause of premature mortality in 41 countries, the second leading cause in 37 countries, and third leading cause in 47 countries.
Added to this the report notes that there is a persistent and widening inequities in access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care for cancer world-wide. Analysis showed that while 87% of women with breast cancer survive five years after their diagnosis in high-income countries, only about 42% do so in low-income countries. Additionally, fewer than one in three countries currently include cancer care in their universal health coverage packages.
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Nearly four in 10 cancer cases were globally are linked to preventable risk factors, particularly infections, including human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B and C, and helicobacter pylori; consumption of alcohol; tobacco use; high body mass index; and insufficient physical activity, highlighting the critical role of prevention.
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death globally.
Lung, prostate and colorectal cancers are among the most common cancers in men, while breast, lung and colorectal cancers account for a substantial share of the burden among women.
How cancer affects differently in different regions: WHO in its report states that the burden of cancer varies markedly across regions. In 2024, Asia accounted for the largest share, with more than half of all cancer cases (50.7%) and deaths (56.5%) reflecting its large population.
Europe carried a disproportionately high burden, contributing 21% of global cases and 20% of deaths despite having only about 9% of the world’s population. In contrast, many countries in Africa and parts of Asia experience lower incidence but disproportionately high mortality.
How does India fare in terms of cancer burden and why is it a growing concern
Cancer is not a notifiable disease, which is a major hurdle in data collection; death registration system has several gaps, including incomplete and inaccurate certification of cause of death.
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Cancer Registry Programme, and the Indian Cancer Genome Atlas initiative, cancer has become one of India’s fastest-growing public health challenges.
The country is witnessing a steady rise in new cases, while major gaps remain in early detection, treatment access, and survival.
The Union Health Ministry said that India is facing a rapidly growing cancer burden, with an estimated 15.6 lakh new cancer cases and nearly 8.7 lakh deaths annually, making cancer the country’s second leading cause of death after cardiovascular diseases.
In the country, cancer burden is unevenly distributed, with the North-Eastern States — particularly Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam — recording some of the highest cancer incidence rates in the world, especially for tobacco-related cancers. Breast cancer is now the most common cancer among women, while oral cancer remains the leading cancer among men, driven largely by tobacco use.
Other common cancers include lung, cervical, oesophageal, stomach and colorectal cancers.
The Health Ministry attributes the rising burden to population ageing, tobacco and alcohol use, obesity, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, infections such as HPV and hepatitis B and C, and environmental factors including air pollution.
Despite improvements in diagnosis and reporting, nearly 60–70% of patients are diagnosed at advanced stages, when treatment is less effective and more expensive.
A comprehensive Rajya Sabha department-related Parliamentary standing committee on Health and Family Welfare report on Cancer care plan and management: prevention, diagnosis, research, affordability and cancer treatment, submitted in December 2022 said that – un-equal distribution and lack of access to healthcare and inability to afford optimum treatment are some of the reasons for high mortality.
It said that access to the right doctors, facilities, treatment, and medication in a timely manner is limited to a few metro cities and thus, large parts of the country lack access to quality healthcare services. Further it said that efficient delivery of cancer care is challenged by regional disparity, marked socio-economic diversity, gaps in knowledge, health seeking behaviour of the public combined with resource and infrastructure constraints. In India approximately 80% of the cancer patients seek medical attention in advanced stages of disease that contributes to India’s very high mortality-incidence ratio.
The country also sees a high out-of-pocket expenditure for cancer diagnosis, treatment and care, which remains a major concern, even as the government has progressively expanded screening programmes under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD), strengthened cancer centres, reduced prices of selected cancer medicines through the Jan Aushadhi and AMRIT pharmacy schemes, extended financial protection under Ayushman Bharat, and announced customs duty exemptions on several life-saving cancer drugs.
Published – July 10, 2026 09:15 am IST