Cancer Control: Eastern Mediterranean Region Special Report

Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) contributed to a new special report on cancer control in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region. Cancer Control: Eastern Mediterranean Region Special Report examines issues influencing the cancer burden in the region, actions being taken to address these issues, and how the situation may evolve in the future.

In 2020, more than 720 000 people were diagnosed with cancer and more than 450 000 people died from cancer in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. This burden of cancer is expected to double by 2040 due to population ageing and growth alone, without even taking into consideration the high regional prevalence of risk factors such as smoking, unhealthy diet, and air pollution.

The new report comprises 10 chapters, which cover the whole cancer care continuum, including planning, prevention, early detection, access to care, treatment, palliative care, cancer surveillance and research, new WHO initiatives, cancer care in humanitarian settings, paediatric oncology, and the role of civil society organizations in advancing cancer care in the region. The report was produced by more than 60 contributors, most of them from within the region.

This is the first time that such information has been documented in a single report. It provides an opportunity for more in-depth study of the spectrum of existing cancer control programmes in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region and of interactions between countries in the region, and serves as a basis for information sharing and cooperation.

Read Cancer Control: Eastern Mediterranean Region Special Report