A sweeping new report from the American Cancer Society suggests cancer will likely be the leading cause of early deaths worldwide by 2050, with cases projected to rise by 74%.
“This is because of population aging and growth,” said Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president of the Surveillance & Health Equity Science Department of the American Cancer Society and the chief editor of the report.
In 2022, there were about 19 million new cancer cases worldwide.
The United States made up 13% of those cases — more than the combined share from Africa (6%), Latin America and the Caribbean (7%), and Oceania (less than 2%).
Certain cancers in the U.S. are rising more than others.
According to the report, lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer in the world, despite declining smoking rates. In the U.S., the most commonly diagnosed cancer for women was breast, while for men, it was prostate.
Jemal pointed out that skin cancer is still the most common cancer in the U.S. overall. However, the report only included cases of melanoma, omitting other types that are not often accounted for in cancer registries.
The number of young people diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the U.S. is on the rise and quickly expanding, the report also noted.
“We are seeing an increase in colon cancer in those born after 1950 and a decrease in the median age of diagnosis,” said Jemal. More people are being diagnosed at younger ages and fewer people are being diagnosed at older ages due to early detection from colonoscopy screenings, he explained.
“We don’t know why, but there are suspected risk factors,” he said. “One is obesity prevalence. Others are ultra processed foods and changes in the gut microbiome.”
Cancer is currently the leading cause of early deaths in the U.S., surpassing heart disease.