Cancer is leaving more children without mothers; India among six hardest-hit countries, says WHO

India is among six countries that account for two in every five children worldwide who lose their mothers to cancer, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Status Report on Cancer 2026. The report said nearly half of such children were in Asia, with breast and cervical cancers accounting for a large share of these deaths.

The further report warned that the global cancer burden is set to rise sharply over the coming decades, with annual new cases projected to increase from 20.6 million in 2024 to nearly 35 million by 2050.

It said cancer would affect nearly everyone during their lifetime, either through their own diagnosis or that of a close family member, with around 92% of the world's population expected to experience its impact in some form. Cancer already claims nearly 10 million lives every year, making it the world's second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease.

Far beyond mortality, the report said cancer remains one of the biggest causes of financial hardship for households. Nearly half of patients and families reported financial distress, more than half experienced mental health challenges, and almost all caregivers reported strain, including unpaid care work and social isolation. It estimated that cancer imposes an economic burden equivalent to an annual tax of about 0.55% of global GDP between 2020 and 2050.

While scientific advances have improved diagnosis and treatment, the report said the benefits remain uneven. It found that five-year survival for breast cancer was 87% in high-income countries compared with about 42% in low-income 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 seeing premature cancer deaths continue to rise.

The report said nearly four in 10 cancer cases globally were linked to preventable risk factors, including tobacco use, alcohol consumption, obesity, physical inactivity and infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B and C, and Helicobacter pylori. It noted that tobacco use has declined by 27% since 2010 and infection-related cancers have fallen with wider vaccination and improvements in water, sanitation and hygiene.

However, it warned that rising obesity, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and air pollution are changing the global cancer profile.

Lung cancer remained the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Lung, prostate and colorectal cancers were among the most common cancers in men, while breast, lung and colorectal cancers accounted for a substantial share of the burden among women.

"The cancer profile is evolving, increasingly driven by rising rates of obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, and air pollution. Cancer prevention must remain a political priority," the report quoted Dr Elisabete Weiderpass, Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), as saying.

Despite more countries adopting national cancer control plans, the report said implementation continues to lag. Around 82% of countries now have national cancer control plans, up from 50% in 2010, but fewer than one in three countries include cancer care in their universal health coverage packages. Availability of the top 20 priority cancer medicines ranges from just 9% to 54% in low- and lower-middle-income countries, compared with 68% to 94% in high-income countries.

The report called for governments to integrate cancer care into universal health coverage, invest in the health workforce, strengthen prevention and early diagnosis, improve social protection for patients and caregivers, and align research and innovation with public health needs.