Cancer cases and deaths among men are expected to surge globally by 2050, according to a new study from the American Cancer Society.
In the study, published Monday in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the ACS, researchers projected an 84% increase in cancer cases and a 93% increase in cancer deaths among men worldwide between between 2022 and 2050.
The increases were greater among men 65 and older and in countries and territories with a low or medium human development index. The index measures each country’s development in health, knowledge and standard of living, according to the study.
Using data from the Global Cancer Observatory, the study analyzed more than 30 different types of cancers across 185 countries and territories worldwide to make demographic projections.
This isn’t the first study to paint a less-than-optimistic outlook at the future of cancer case numbers.
Earlier this year, the World Health Organization predicted we will see more than 35 million new cancer cases by 2050, a 77% increase from the estimated 20 million cases in 2022. The survey looked at both men and women in 115 countries.
The organization pointed to several factors behind the predicted global cancer increase, including:
- Population aging and growth
- Changes to people’s exposure to risk factors, with air pollution a key driver of environmental risk factors
- Tobacco and alcohol use
- Obesity
In the latest study, authors also pointed to smoking and alcohol consumption as modifiable risk factors prevalent among men.
Other factors that may make men face higher rates of cancer compared to women include lower participation in cancer prevention activities and underuse of screening and treatment options, the authors added.
Improving access to cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment options, especially for older men, could help improve cancer outcomes, lead author Habtamu Mellie Bizuayehu said in a news release.