According to a study, male cancer deaths worldwide are expected to rise by 93% by 2050
CNN — According to a study released on Monday, there will likely be a significant increase in male cancer cases and fatalities by 2050, with a particular spike among males 65 years of age and above.
Researchers from Australia examined cases and deaths from 30 different forms of cancer in 185 nations and territories in 2022 to create estimates for 2050 for the study, which was published in the journal Cancer.
According to the report, there would be an 84% increase in the total number of cancer cases among males from 10.3 million in 2022 to 19 million in 2050. It was predicted that the number of cancer deaths will grow by 93%, from 5.4 million in 2022 to 10.5 million in 2050. It was predicted that the death rate among men 65 and older would rise by 117%.
Male cancer death rates are also expected to rise more rapidly in nations with lower life expectancies and incomes. “It is estimated that the number of incident cases and deaths in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean will grow 2.5 times between 2022 and 2050. On the other hand, an increase of almost 50% is anticipated in Europe,” the researchers said.
Already, the risk of cancer death is higher in men than in women. Males are more likely than females to smoke, drink alcohol, and be exposed to toxins at work—behaviors that are linked to a high number of cancer diagnoses. Additionally, they are less likely to use screening services.
Lung cancer is anticipated to remain the primary cause of cancer and cancer-related deaths in males in 2050, much like it did in 2022. Prostate cancer and mesothelioma were the two malignancies with the largest predicted increases in male incidence and fatalities by 2050.
Stronger health infrastructure and access, including a sufficient personnel, are required, according to the researchers, to both improve existing cancer outcomes and get ready for the increases predicted by 2050. They noted that low-income nations have low universal health coverage and are disproportionately affected by poor cancer outcomes; they concluded that strengthening “basic cancer care options” could come from expanding universal health coverage globally.
According to a report released earlier this year by the American Cancer Society, the world’s cancer burden is mostly driven by population expansion and aging. It is estimated that the current 8 billion people on Earth will increase to 9.7 billion by 2050.
The chief scientific officer of the American Cancer Society, Dr. William Dahut, earlier told CNN that “we think that number will go up to 35 million by 2050, largely due to an increasing population in the aging population” on the number of cancer cases worldwide. Additionally, the American Cancer Society (ACS) stated that the estimated number of cancer cases could increase even further if more individuals smoke, have obesity, and other risk factors for cancer. This is especially true in low-income nations.
