Global cancer cases are projected to increase by 67% to more than 34 million annually by 2050, according to figures from the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Deaths from the disease could reach 17.5 million, marking a 79% increase, with most additional deaths anticipated in low-income countries.
Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, a Nigerian paediatrician and advocate, has become the first African to lead the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) as its president-elect. She stated that the forecasts highlight the need to reorient global cancer policy towards countries with already strained health systems, noting that "Cancer is tripling and is going to keep on increasing, and the people affected by it most are those from the global south."
Bagudu plans to use the UICC, which represents over 1,100 member organisations in more than 170 countries, to bridge the gap between countries with limited cancer services and those developing research, technology, and treatments. She also aims to support the development of a global cancer financing platform, modelled partly on the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to mobilise resources for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
Her priorities include focusing on preventable cancers, childhood cancers, and liver cancer linked to hepatitis, alongside investment in diagnosis and treatment. Bagudu also seeks to increase Africa's role in cancer research, moving beyond being primarily a recipient of discoveries and training.