Substantial Disparities Seen in Cancer Cases, Deaths Among Men

MONDAY, Aug. 12, 2024 (HealthDay News) — There are substantial disparities in cancer cases and deaths among men, which are projected to widen by 2050, according to a study published online Aug. 12 in Cancer.

Habtamu Mellie Bizuayehu, Ph.D., from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and colleagues analyzed 30 cancer types among men in 2022 using GLOBOCAN estimates for men in 185 countries/territories worldwide and estimated projections for 2050. By dividing age‐standardized mortality rates by incidence rates, mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs) were calculated.

The researchers found that a high MIR was seen among older men (aged 65 years and older), for rare cancer types, and in countries with a low Human Development Index (HDI; 61, 91, and 74 percent, respectively) in 2022. Cancer cases are projected to increase from 10.3 to 19 million between 2022 and 2050 (≥84 percent), while deaths are projected to increase from 5.4 to 10.5 million (≥93 percent), with a more than twofold increase among men aged 65 years and older and for low- and medium-HDI countries/territories (≥117 and ≥160 percent, respectively). Among working-age groups and very high-HDI countries/territories, cancer cases and deaths are projected to increase (≥39 and ≥50 percent, respectively).

“A national and international collaboration, as well as a coordinated multisectoral approach, are essential to improve current cancer outcomes and to reverse the anticipated rise in cancer burden by 2050,” Bizuayehu said in a statement.

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