New Delhi

Nearly everyone, or 92 per cent of all people globally, will be affected by impacts of cancer at least once in their lifetime, with one in five developing the disease, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO).

However, people's lived experience of cancer is highly inequitable, with the analysis revealing persistent and widening inequities in access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and supportive care, leaving millions without services they need.

While 87 per cent of women with breast cancer survive at five years following a diagnosis in high-income countries, only about 42 per cent survive in low-income countries, authors of the report, developed jointly with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), WHO's cancer agency, said.

They added that fewer than one in three countries currently include cancer care in their universal health coverage packages.

"One in five of us will develop cancer ourselves. When we account for the impacts of a cancer diagnosis on close family members, roughly 92 per cent of all people globally will be affected by cancer at least once in their lifetime," the authors wrote.

Millions around the world are facing the physical, emotional and financial toll of cancer, a disease that claims more than 26,000 lives every day, they said.

The team added that 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.

The report also presents a comprehensive analysis of progress across key areas such as political commitment, cancer prevention -- particularly through tobacco control and vaccination programmes -- and an investment in treatment.

Even as tobacco control has declined by 27 per cent globally and political commitment has strengthened with 82 per cent of countries having a national cancer control plan, the advances are not translating into life-saving actions at a required pace, it said.

Essential cancer medicines remain far out of reach for many -- availability of the top 20 priority cancer medicines was found to range from just nine per cent to 54 per cent in low- and lower-middle-income countries, compared with 68-94 per cent in high-income countries.

With human, financial and societal consequences of cancer growing, the world faces a critical juncture for cancer prevention and control, the authors said.

They called on governments, international organisations, civil society, academic institutions, the private sector, and WHO to work together to deliver a people-centred and holistic approach to care for individuals and families affected by cancer.

Integrate cancer control into universal health coverage, the team said.

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Place people with lived experience at the centre of cancer systems while strengthening social protection, they said, asking for research and innovation to align with public health needs.

The authors also asked to ensure an equitable access to value-based advances in care.