Arif Kamal, Chief Patient Officer of American Cancer Society and President of American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“The American Cancer Society’s Global Cancer Statistics 2026 published today. With a headline that cancer diagnoses are on the rise worldwide, the study’s lead author Dr. Hyuna Sung notes that while the scale of the cancer burden and the geographic disparities are sobering, they also point to tremendous opportunity.
What to know:
- Cancer incidence rates varied approximately 4- to 5-fold across regions, with the highest rates observed in Australia and New Zealand and the lowest in parts of Africa and South-Central Asia.
- The highest death rates are observed in Eastern Europe among men and in Melanesia among women.
- Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide and the deadliest.
- Female breast cancer ranked second in incidence globally and is the leading cancer among women for both incidence and mortality.
- Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death.
- Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among men and the fourth leading cause of cancer death.
At the root of much of this data is unequal access to early detection, diagnosis, and treatment. Therein comes the opportunity for expanded public health measures and interventions, especially in low- and middle-income countries, that increase resources and reach for vaccines, screening, provider and patient support, and quality care.
Thank you to the ACS researchers behind this report and the ACS global team members who are committed to reducing suffering for people with cancer in more than 60 countries.
Read the full report.”
Other articles featuring Arif Kamal on OncoDaily.