Cancer deaths in Bangladesh up 8% since 2018

Infographics: TBS

Bangladesh has seen a 8% rise in cancer deaths in 2022 compared to 2018, according to the latest data from the Global Cancer Observatory (GCO).

Ahead of World Cancer Day, the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, released the latest estimates of the global burden of cancer on its web-based platform, GCO on Thursday. The data covers 36 cancer types and 185 countries.

According to the data, 167,256 new cancer cases were diagnosed and 116,598 deaths were reported in Bangladesh in 2022, representing increases of 11% and 8% respectively compared to 2018. There were 68,591 deaths among men and 48,007 among women.

Alarmingly, the report estimates over 35 million new cancer cases globally by 2050, a 77% increase from 2022. This surge is attributed to population growth and ageing, as well as changes in people's exposure to risk factors.

Tobacco, alcohol and obesity are key factors behind the increasing incidence of cancer, with air pollution still a key driver of environmental risk factors.

However, the burden distribution will be uneven for countries of different Human Development Index levels. The brunt of the global cancer burden will be borne by those who have the fewest resources to manage their cancer burdens.

The 2018 WHO data reported 150,781 cancer cases and 108,137 deaths in Bangladesh.

The report also identifies the most common cancer types in the country – oesophageal cancer topped the list, accounting for 15.1% of all cases with 25,232 diagnoses.

Other prevalent cancers include lip and oral cavity cancer (9.6%), lung cancer (7.8%), breast cancer (7.8%), and cervical cancer (5.8%).

Other cancer types accounted for the remaining 54% of cases with 90,312 diagnoses.

Global cancer burden

The GCO data revealed that lung cancer accounted for 2.5 million new cases or 12.4% globally, making it the most common cancer.

This was followed by breast cancer (2.3 million cases), colorectal cancer (1.9 million cases), prostate cancer (1.5 million cases), and stomach cancer (9,70,000 cases).

In terms of cancer deaths, lung cancer similarly topped the list, claiming 1.8 million lives and accounting for 18.7% of all cancer fatalities globally.

Colorectal cancer follows closely with 900,000 deaths (9.3%), then liver cancer (7.8%), breast cancer (6.9%), and stomach cancer (6.8%).

This resurgence of lung cancer as the deadliest cancer likely stems from continued tobacco use in Asia.

Cancer inequity by HDI

The report further reveals significant inequities in the global cancer burden, particularly based on a country's Human Development Index (HDI).

In countries with very high HDI, 1 in 12 women face a lifetime breast cancer diagnosis, with 1 in 71 succumbing to the disease. Conversely, in low HDI countries, while only 1 in 27 women are diagnosed, and 1 in 48 die from it.

WHO's Health Benefits Package (HBP) survey revealed further inequities in cancer services. High-income countries' HBPs were 4-7 times more likely to cover lung cancer services compared to low-income ones.

Radiation services were four times more likely to be covered in a high-income country's HBP than in a low-income one, on average.

Stem-cell transplantation showed the largest discrepancy of any service, with high-income countries 12 times more likely than a low-income one to include stem-cell transplantation in their healthcare services.