Men, take note: Cancer cases and deaths among males will jump globally by 84% and 93%, respectively, by 2050, new research predicts.

Published Monday in the journal Cancer, the study found the increases were greater among men 65 and older and in countries and territories with a low or medium “human development index.” That index measures each country’s development in health, knowledge and standard of living, according to the study. 

“A national and international collaboration, as well as a coordinated multi-sectoral approach, are essential to improve current cancer outcomes and to reverse the anticipated rise in cancer burden by 2050,” said lead study author Habtamu Mellie Bizuayehu, of 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,” Bizuayehu added in a journal news release.

Turning to data from the Global Cancer Observatory, his team analyzed more than 30 different types of cancers across 185 countries and territories worldwide to make its projections.

This isn’t the first study to deliver a dismal outlook on the future of cancer prevalence.

In February, the World Health Organization predicted more than 35 million new cancer cases by 2050, a 77% increase from the estimated 20 million cases predicted in 2022. The survey looked at both men and women in 115 countries.

The WHO report suggested several factors may be fueling the future surge, including:

• Population aging and growth

• Changes to people’s exposure to environmental risk factors, with air pollution a key concern

• Tobacco and alcohol use 

• Obesity

In the latest study, the researchers also pointed to smoking and alcohol consumption as modifiable risk factors that are common among men.

Other factors that may help explain why men face higher rates of cancer compared to women include lower participation in cancer prevention activities and underuse of screening and treatments, the study authors added. 

More information

The American Cancer Society has more on men and cancer.

SOURCE: Cancer, Aug. 12, 2024; CBS News

Source: HealthDay

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