Burden of 30 cancers among men: Global statistics in 2022 and projections for 2050 using population-based estimates

Background: Men exhibit higher prevalence of modifiable risk factors, such as smoking and alcohol consumption, leading to greater cancer incidence and lower survival rates. Comprehensive evidence on global cancer burden among men, including disparities by age group and country, is sparse. To address this, the authors analyzed 30 cancer types among men in 2022, with projections estimated for 2050.

Methods: The 2022 GLOBOCAN estimates were used to describe cancer statistics for men in 185 countries/territories worldwide. Mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs) were calculated by dividing age-standardized mortality rates by incidence rates.

Results: In 2022, a high MIR (indicating poor survival) was observed among older men (aged 65 years and older; 61%) for rare cancer types (pancreatic cancer, 91%) and in countries with low a Human Development Index (HDI; 74%). Between 2022 and 2050, cancer cases are projected to increase from 10.3 million to 19 million (≥84%). Deaths are projected to increase from 5.4 million to 10.5 million (≥93%), with a greater than two-fold increase among men aged 65 years and older (≥117%) and for low-HDI and medium-HDI countries/territories (≥160%). Cancer cases and deaths are projected to increase among working-age groups (≥39%) and very-high-HDI countries/territories (≥50%).

Conclusions: Substantial disparities in cancer cases and deaths were observed among men in 2022, and these are projected to widen by 2050. Strengthening health infrastructure, enhancing workforce quality and access, fostering national and international collaborations, and promoting universal health coverage are crucial to reducing cancer disparities and ensuring cancer equity among men globally.

Habtamu Mellie Bizuayehu,1 Abel F Dadi,2,3 Kedir Y Ahmed,4 Teketo Kassaw Tegegne,5 Tahir Ahmed Hassen,6 Getiye Dejenu Kibret,7,8 Daniel Bekele Ketema,7,9 Meless G Bore,10,11 Subash Thapa,4 Daniel Bogale Odo,12 Zemenu Y Kassa,10,11 Desalegn Markos Shifti,13 Erkihun Amsalu,14,15 Peter Sarich,16 Rebecca L Venchiarutti,17,18 Yohannes Adama Melaku,19,20 Kelemu Tilahun Kibret,21 Aklilu Habte,22 Yonatan M Mefsin,23 Abdulbasit Seid,24 Sewunet Admasu Belachew1

  1. School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
  2. Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
  3. Addis Continental Institute of Public Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  4. Rural Health Research Institute, Charles Sturt University, Orange, New South Wales, Australia.
  5. Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
  6. Center for Women's Health Research, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
  7. College of Medicine and Health Science, School of Public Health, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
  8. Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  9. The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  10. College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
  11. School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  12. National Center for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
  13. Child Health Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
  14. Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  15. St Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  16. The Daffodil Center, The University of Sydney, A Joint Venture with Cancer Council NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  17. Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.
  18. Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  19. FHMRI Sleep (Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health), College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide, Australia.
  20. Cancer Epidemiology Division, Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
  21. Global Center for Preventive Health and Nutrition, Institute for Health Transformation, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia.
  22. School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wachemo University, Hosanna, Ethiopia.
  23. World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
  24. Australian Living Evidence Collaborations, School of Public Health and Prevention Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.

Source: Habtamu Mellie Bizuayehu, Abel F Dadi, Kedir Y Ahmed et al. Burden of 30 cancers among men: Global statistics in 2022 and projections for 2050 using population-based estimates. Cancer. 2024 Aug 12. doi: 10.1002/cncr.35458.