Funding for national cancer control plans remains critically insufficient, with fewer than 10% fully funded worldwide, the president of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) has warned.
Speaking at the World Cancer Congress 2026 in Hong Kong, which ends on Saturday, Ulrika Årehed Kågström said financing national cancer plans remains a persistent challenge. While 81% of countries have national cancer control strategies, most lack the resources to implement them effectively.
“The cancer community must ensure that cancer control is politically and financially prioritised in all countries,” she said, stressing the need for stronger and more equitable systems.
The UICC is the largest and oldest organisation dedicated to leading global action against cancer with more than 1,150 member organisations including major cancer societies and research institutes.
Ms Årehed Kågström said better prevention, early detection and support throughout care could significantly reduce cancer deaths and inequalities worldwide. These objectives align closely with the World Cancer Declaration, launched last November at the World Cancer Leaders Summit in Melbourne, Australia, she said.
Cary Adams, chief executive of the UICC, agreed that while most countries now have cancer control plans, only a minority include adequate financing strategies. He called for cancer care to be incorporated into universal health coverage and urged governments to prioritise investment.
More than 2,000 delegates from 124 countries gathered in Hong Kong this week for the three-day congress, where speakers urged governments and health systems to prioritise prevention, early diagnosis and equitable access to treatment.
Participants included representatives of government agencies, patient organisations, academia, research institutes and UN bodies. Delegates came from North and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, underscoring the global scale of the challenge.
Ms Årehed Kågström said that despite differences in background and expertise, participants shared a common purpose: reducing the burden of cancer, addressing inequalities and improving survival rates worldwide.
Rising cancer cases
Ms Årehed Kågström pointed to projections showing a sharp rise in the global cancer burden.
“Cancer cases are expected to rise by 29% to 26.5 million annually by 2035, with deaths increasing by 32% to 12.9 million,” she said.
“Africa, Asia, Latin America and Asean are facing faster growth in incidence and mortality than North America and Europe.”
Access to quality cancer prevention, detection, treatment and supportive care remains highly unequal within and between countries, she said. Lower-income countries face major gaps in infrastructure, workforce capacity, treatment options and affordability.
“The estimated global economic cost of cancer over the period 2020 to 2050 is 25.2 trillion US dollars,” she said. “And 50% of cancers are currently detected at an advanced stage.”
She said five-year survival rates fall sharply between early and advanced stages of cancer. Early diagnosis can significantly improve a person’s chances of survival, while population-based screening and early detection can reduce costs for healthcare systems.
Investment in cancer prevention can deliver high returns, she said, noting that the World Health Organization recommends a range of cancer prevention measures.
Major advances are also being made in targeted drugs, immunotherapy, including CAR-T cell therapy, and mRNA vaccines.
Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform detection, treatment planning and care delivery. However, access to new treatments and technologies varies substantially because of high costs and differences in health system capacity, she said.
Wider global challenges pose further threats. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) puts cancer treatment at risk, with one in five cancer patients needing antibiotics. Cancer patients are also two to three times more likely than other hospital patients to develop an untreatable infection, she said.
“If we don’t address AMR, advances in cancer treatment risk being undermined by death from infections,” she said.
Climate change can increase cancer risk through air pollution and disrupt services during extreme weather events, she said. Increasing urbanisation also exposes more people to pollution, heat and unhealthy living environments.
Mr Adams also warned that cancer cases and deaths are set to rise sharply, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. He urged governments to strengthen prevention, early detection and financing for national cancer plans.
He said there were 20.6 million new cases and 9.8 million deaths in 2024, with annual totals forecast to exceed 34 million cases and reach 17.5 million deaths by 2050.
Tobacco use, obesity, poor diet and infections remain major risk factors, he said. While tobacco use has declined in many regions, more than 1.1 billion people still smoke worldwide.
The proportion of the global population who are overweight or obese has risen to 43%, compared with 31% in 2010, he said. Progress in screening and early detection has been uneven, with less than half the world’s population having access to diagnostic services.
Vaccination programmes against human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B have expanded, but coverage remains low in some regions, leaving millions at risk of preventable cancers.
Access to essential cancer medicines and palliative care is also highly unequal, with only 14% of patients who need palliative care receiving it, he said.
The updated World Cancer Declaration sets targets to reduce cancer mortality by 25% by 2035, cut exposure to major risk factors by 30%, ensure 60% of cancers are diagnosed early and guarantee access to essential medicines and technologies.
“Our ambition is simple — to reduce the cancer burden and address inequities,” Mr Adams said. “If you want results, you must prepare and work for them.”