Latest global cancer data: Cancer burden rises to 19.3 million new cases and 10.0 million cancer deaths in 2020

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) today released the latest estimates on the global burden of cancer. The GLOBOCAN 2020 database, accessible online as part of the IARC Global Cancer Observatory, provides estimates for 2020 of incidence and mortality in 185 countries for 36 types of cancer and for all cancer sites combined.

The global cancer burden is estimated to have risen to 19.3 million new cases and 10.0 million deaths in 2020. One in 5 people worldwide develop cancer during their lifetime, and one in 8 men and one in 11 women die from the disease.

The 10 most common cancer types account for more than 60% of the newly diagnosed cancer cases and more than 70% of the cancer deaths. For the first time, female breast cancer is estimated to be the most commonly occurring cancer worldwide, followed by lung cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, and stomach cancer.

Read IARC Press Release 292

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