ISLAMABAD: Women with breast cancer in Pakistan wait an average of 111.5 days between diagnosis and the start of treatment, one of the longest delays highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO), as its Global Status Report on Cancer 2026 warns that widening gaps in diagnosis, access to medicines, radiotherapy and palliative care are threatening cancer control in low- and middle-income countries.
The report cites evidence from Pakistan showing that women with breast cancer experience an average treatment delay of 111.5 days, compared with approximately two to four weeks in many high-income countries. It says delayed diagnosis and treatment remain among the biggest obstacles to improving cancer survival in resource-limited settings.
Globally, cancer affected 20.6 million people in 2024, including 19.5 million new cases excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, and claimed nearly 10 million lives.
WHO projects annual new cancer cases will increase to 35 million by 2050, while one in every five people worldwide will develop cancer during their lifetime.
The report says cancer has become an increasingly important cause of premature mortality worldwide. In 2021, it was the leading cause of premature death in 41 countries, the second leading cause in 37 countries and the third leading cause in 47 countries. Only 12 countries are on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing premature cancer mortality by one-third by 2030, while 48 countries are experiencing rising premature cancer mortality.
WHO identifies tobacco use, obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human papillomavirus (HPV), together with environmental and occupational exposures, among the leading preventable causes of cancer. It estimates that nearly 40 percent of cancers are preventable through evidence-based public health measures.
The report warns that no country has succeeded in halting the rise in obesity. Global overweight and obesity rates have increased from 31 percent to 43 percent since 2010, while 31 percent of adults and 80 percent of adolescents worldwide fail to meet recommended physical activity levels.
Although more than 75 percent of countries report having national cancer screening programmes, major gaps persist. Cervical cancer screening coverage stands at only 26 percent in low- and middle-income countries, compared with 74 percent in high-income countries, with many women failing to receive appropriate follow-up after positive screening tests.
WHO says almost half of the world’s population still lacks access to timely cancer diagnosis. It estimates that 47 percent of people globally have little or no access to basic diagnostic services, contributing to delays in confirming cancer and initiating treatment.
The report highlights major inequalities in access to treatment. Only 28 percent of countries include comprehensive cancer care within their universal health coverage benefit packages, leaving millions of patients to rely on out-of-pocket spending for diagnosis and treatment.
Access to essential cancer medicines also remains highly unequal. Of the 50 anti-cancer medicines included in the WHO Essential Medicines List, countries include a median of only 28 medicines in their national essential medicines lists. Hospital availability of cancer medicines ranges from just 9 to 54 percent in low- and lower-middle-income countries compared with 68 to 94 percent in high-income countries.
Radiotherapy services continue to lag behind demand. According to the report, 23 low- and middle-income countries still have no radiotherapy facilities, while only 19 to 25 percent of low-income countries provide reimbursement for radiotherapy through national health benefit packages.
One of the report’s strongest warnings concerns palliative care. WHO estimates that 73 million people require palliative care each year, but only 14 percent receive it, despite 69 percent of governments reporting dedicated funding for palliative care in national cancer programmes.
Cancer also imposes a devastating financial burden on patients and families. The report says approximately half of cancer patients and their families experience catastrophic health expenditure, making cancer one of the leading causes of medical bankruptcy worldwide through treatment costs, lost income, transport expenses and prolonged caregiving.
The report estimates that the cumulative global economic cost of cancer will exceed US$33.2 trillion between 2020 and 2050, equivalent to an annual burden of approximately 0.55 percent of global gross domestic product.
Calling for urgent action, WHO says governments must move beyond policy commitments and invest in comprehensive cancer control programmes that strengthen prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, palliative care and cancer surveillance. Without accelerated implementation, it warns, low- and middle-income countries will bear the steepest increase in cancer cases and deaths over the coming decades.
