A new report from the World Health Organization warns that the number of people diagnosed with cancer each year is expected to increase over the next quarter century.
The report predicts that annual cancer diagnoses will increase from about 20 million today to nearly 35 million by 2050.
While some cancers are on the decline thanks to prevention efforts, experts warn aging populations, rising obesity rates and other risk factors will put unprecedented pressure on health care systems around the world.
“We need to focus attention on what some people are calling the cancer tsunami,” said Dr. Peter Stotland, chief of surgery and a surgical oncologist at North York General Hospital.
Stotland told Global News the findings mirror what doctors are already seeing in Canada.
“We’re seeing a higher number of people coming in with cancer,” he said, pointing to an aging population expected to cause increases in lung, prostate and colorectal cancers.
“I think it’s shocking because this is something we’re seeing regionally, provincially and nationally,” he said.
At the same time, doctors are also seeing more young people diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
“We can see two spots … one in older people and another in younger people with cancer,” he said. “This will put a lot of stress on the health care system.”
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WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer estimates that cancer cases will increase worldwide over the next 25 years, although the reasons vary by region.
Dr. Isabelle Soerjomataram, a physician and vice president of the agency’s Cancer Surveillance Branch, said higher-income countries like Canada are likely to see more cases among older adults.
“We’re not really equipped to handle this growing demand,” she said, noting the imbalance between the growing number of cancer patients and the health care workforce needed to care for them.
The report also found that cancer goes far beyond those diagnosed.
Researchers estimate that while approximately 20 million people receive a cancer diagnosis each year, approximately 92 percent of the world’s population is personally affected through a family member, caregiver, or close friend.
Toronto resident Nadia Headley knows this impact firsthand.
Headley was just 30 when she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer while raising her four-year-old daughter.
“I immediately went into mom mode,” she said, recalling receiving the diagnosis with her daughter in the room.
“I tried so hard to stay strong in front of my daughter.”
She said explaining cancer to a young child while going through treatment herself was one of the most difficult parts of the experience.
“Mom is not well and the doctors need to fix mom’s body,” she recalled telling her daughter. “‘The drugs they’re going to give mommy are going to make mommy feel really sick’.”
Today, Headley is cancer-free, but continues to live with the long-term effects of treatment, including lymphedema.
“It’s not as open and shut as you might think,” she said. “There are also side effects from the treatment.”
Despite the predictions, experts say that millions of future cancer cases could still be prevented.
The WHO estimates that approximately four in 10 cancers are linked to preventable risk factors such as tobacco use, obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption and certain infections.
Stotland said Canadians can lower their risk through healthy lifestyle choices and take advantage of recommended screening programs, including breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening.
“So many cancers can be detected with this type of screening,” he said.
For governments, however, both experts say planning should start now. “Cancer isn’t going anywhere,” Stotland said.
“Even though we’re curing a lot of cancer, just with our aging population, unfortunately we’re going to see an increase in the number of cancer patients seeking treatment. We have to plan for that.”
–with filing by Katherine Ward, Global News
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
