New cancer cases will grow 30% by 2020, with global economic impact exceeding $300 billion

The number of new cancer cases globally will climb to almost 17 million in 2020 from just under 13m today as the population ages and the disease cuts an ever-wider path through emerging economies, according to a new report from the Economist Intelligence Unit and commissioned by LIVESTRONG, an initiative of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), with the support of the American Cancer Society. Cancer, the second-largest cause of death globally, already imposes a substantial burden on the world economy: medical and related non-medical costs associated with new cancer cases in 2009 were estimated to be $217 billion, the report shows. Lost productivity as a result of time out of work accounts for an additional $69 billion.

Low- and middle-income countries will account for 62% of the 12.9 million new cancer cases that will be recorded in 2009. The remainder will occur in high-income nations. Yet, only 5% of global resources to fight cancer are spent in the developing world. By 2020, the report estimates the number of new cancer cases worldwide will reach 16.8m, with 65% occurring in developing countries.

The report includes a series of firsts. This is, for example, the first time that the global economic burden of cancer has been calculated.