Extracts below from a WHO news release. Read online: https://www.who.int/news/item/08-07-2026-who-calls-for-urgent-action-as-...
==
8 July 2026
Millions of people are facing physical, emotional and financial toll of cancer, a disease that claims more than 26 000 lives every day, according to a report released today by the World Health Organization (WHO). With an estimated 20.6 million new cases and close to 10 million deaths annually, cancer remains the second leading cause of death globally, after cardiovascular disease...
Without urgent action, annual cancer cases are projected to rise to nearly 35 million by 2050.
The WHO Global Status Report on Cancer 2026... reveals persistent and widening inequities in access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and supportive care, leaving millions of people without the services they need. Its analysis shows that while 87% of women with breast cancer survive at 5 years after their diagnosis in high-income countries, only about 42% do so in low-income countries. Fewer than one in three countries currently include cancer care in their universal health coverage packages...
Nearly four in ten cancer cases globally are linked to preventable risk factors, particularly infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B and C, and helicobacter pylori, alcohol, tobacco use, high body mass index and insufficient physical activity, highlighting the critical role of prevention...
Yet these advances are not translating into life-saving actions at the pace required. Essential cancer medicines remain far out of reach for many: 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. And the consequences of these gaps are felt most acutely by people living with cancer and their families...
The report outlines seven key recommendations and three strategic shifts to be implemented across all countries and communities:
Better capabilities: Integrate cancer control into universal health coverage and invest in human capital to prevent and control cancer;
Better protections: Place people with lived experience at the centre of cancer systems while strengthening social protection; and
Better value: Align research and innovation with public health needs and ensure equitable access to valued-based advances in care.
==
COMMENT (NPW): The report itself is available here: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240123977
In my next message I shall provide verbatim text on the seven recommendations.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org