WHO reports 9.1 lakh cancer deaths and 14.1 lakh new cases in India

According to the World Health Organization’s most recent projections of the illness’s global burden, breast cancer was the most frequent kind of cancer in India in 2022, accounting for over 14.1 lakh new cases and over 9.1 lakh deaths from the disease (WHO).

According to estimates from the WHO’s cancer agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the most common cancers in men were those of the lip, mouth cavity, and lung, accounting for 15.6 and 8.5 percent of new cases, respectively. In women, the most common cancers were those of the breast and cervix, accounting for nearly 27 and 18 percent of new cases, respectively.

Additionally, it found that around 32.6 lakh people in India were still living five years after receiving a cancer diagnosis.

According to the organization, there were around 5.3 crore survivors of cancer within five years after receiving a diagnosis, compared to an expected 2 crore new cases and 97 lakh fatalities worldwide. According to the report, 1 in 5 people will have cancer at some point in their lives, and 1 in 9 men and 1 in 12 women will pass away from the illness.

In India, the probability of getting cancer before the age of 75 was determined to be 10.6%, while the probability of passing away from cancer at the same age was discovered to be 7.2%. These hazards were, respectively, 20 percent and 9.6 percent worldwide.

According to survey data from 115 countries, the WHO said that most nations do not sufficiently fund priority cancer and palliative (pain-related) care services as part of universal health coverage (UHC).

According to the UN public health agency, of the participating countries, only 39% provided basic cancer care as part of their publicly funded “health benefit packages” (HBP) for all citizens, and only 28% provided additional care for those in need of palliative care, including general pain relief.

According to IARC projections, in 2022, 10 cancer types accounted for about two-thirds of all new cases and deaths worldwide. 36 cancers and 185 nations were covered in their data.

According to the data, lung cancer is the most frequent disease (12.4 percent of all new cases) and the primary cause of cancer-related fatalities (19% of all cancer deaths).

According to the Cancer Organization, persistent tobacco smoking in Asia may be a contributing factor in the resurgence of lung cancer, the most frequent kind of cancer.

According to the IARC, breast cancer in women was the second most frequent kind (11.6 percent of all new cases) and was responsible for about 7% of cancer-related fatalities worldwide.

According to their data, cervical cancer ranks ninth in the world in terms of cancer-related deaths and is the eighth most frequent kind of cancer worldwide. Additionally, it was discovered that in 25 countries—many of which are in sub-Saharan Africa—it was the most frequent cancer among women.

Notwithstanding the disease’s variable occurrence, the IARC said that cervical cancer may be eradicated as a public health issue by expanding the WHO Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative.

The World Health Assembly approved the Global Strategy for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer in August 2020. The WHO Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative called on all nations to achieve and sustain an incidence rate of less than 4 per 1 lakh women.

In order to meet the target, the UN agency strongly recommended that 90% of girls receive the full dose of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine before they turn 15 years old, that 70% of women be screened by the age of 35 and again by the age of 45, that 90% of women with pre-cancer be treated, and that 90% of women with invasive cancer be managed.

The WHO said in the initiative that in order to begin the process of eliminating cervical cancer within the next century, every nation must fulfill these 90-70-90 objectives by 2030.

According to the IARC, Oceania has the highest age-standardized incidence rate (409 per 1 lakh people) of all malignancies throughout the continent, followed by Northern America (365 per 1 lakh people) and Europe (280 per 1 lakh people).

With more than 400 per 1 lakh inhabitants, the Australia-New Zealand area has the highest rate of all UN regions, followed by Northern America.

According to the IARC data, Europe had the highest age-standardized mortality rate per 100,000 people, at 82, followed by Africa at 72 and Asia at 69.

According to agency estimates, the probability of getting cancer before reaching 75 years old was greatest in Oceania (about 38%), followed by Northern America (34%), and Europe (28%). On the other hand, the chance of dying from cancer was greatest in Europe (11.5%) and second highest in Asia and Oceania (9.5%).