Dr Zainab Shinkafi‑Bagudu, a Nigerian paediatrician and president‑elect of the Union for International Cancer Control, has warned that cancer diagnoses are projected to triple by mid‑century, with the steepest rises expected in low‑ and middle‑income countries. Speaking at the recent World Cancer Congress in Hong Kong, she called for urgent investment in research, diagnosis, prevention and innovative financing to close the widening gap between affluent nations and the global south.
A Stark Forecast for Global Cancer
According to the latest data from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, 20.6 million people were diagnosed with cancer and 9.8 million died from the disease in 2024. The agency forecasts an annual increase of 67 % in new cases, pushing the total beyond 34 million by 2050, while deaths could climb to 17.5 million – a rise of 79 %. Most of this additional burden will fall on poorer nations where health systems are already strained.
From Abuja to Hong Kong: A Personal Story
Bagudu illustrated the human cost of the trend by recalling a encounter with Gloria, a young breast‑cancer patient she had last seen in a hospital in Abuja. At the congress in Hong Kong, Gloria was walking with a stick because cancer had spread to her hips, yet she was attending sessions and advocating for other patients. “I saw her hopping on the corridor here. I was shocked,” Bagudu said, underscoring how advances in care can travel far beyond the clinics where they are delivered.
Building More Than Hospitals: The Need for Comprehensive Care
The UICC leader stressed that simply constructing more cancer centres is insufficient. Effective care must be paired with screening, early diagnosis, radiotherapy, medicines, trained health workers and financial protection for families. She noted that less than half of the world’s population currently has access to diagnostic services, and only 14 % of the estimated 73 million people who need palliative care each year receive it. “I’m trying to reduce financial toxicity for the woman in the village,” she added.
Financing and Prevention: A New Global Push
Bagudu pointed out that cancer has never benefited from a dedicated global treatment financing mechanism comparable to those for HIV, tuberculosis or malaria. She supports the creation of a global cancer financing platform modelled partly on the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, aiming to mobilise resources from governments, donors and other sources. Her agenda also stresses prevention – particularly for childhood cancers and liver cancer linked to hepatitis – alongside investment in diagnosis and treatment, recognising that risk factors such as tobacco, infections, alcohol, diet and obesity shape disease patterns.
Why it Matters
If the projected surge in cancer cases is not met with coordinated action, millions of people in the world’s poorest regions will face preventable suffering and economic hardship. Bagudu’s leadership offers a chance to shift resources, knowledge and political will toward those most in need, turning conference commitments into tangible improvements in diagnosis, treatment and survival for patients like Gloria and countless others across Africa and beyond.