Cancer cases in men are predicted to rise by 84 per cent by 2050, analysis suggests, with deaths from the disease to almost double in that time.
Experts have warned the global burden of cancer in men is set to rapidly rise in the coming decades in a study using data from 185 nations.
An estimated 19million cancer cases are predicted to be diagnosed in 2050 if current trends continue, up from 10million recorded in 2022.
Cancer deaths are predicted to soar even higher, going from 5million in 2022 to over 10million by 2050, a rise of 93 per cent.
While older men are predicted to account for the majority of fatalities in a pattern linked to ageing population, experts also predicted a concerning spike in young men being killed by the disease in the years to come.
Both actor Chadwick Boseman and singer Tom Parker were killed by early onset cancer, defined medically as a case of the disease striking someone under the age of 50
In 2008 Star Wars star Ewan McGregor (left) revealed he had a cancerous mole removed from just below his right eye, he was 37 at the time. Dexter star Michael C Hall (right) is an early onset cancer survivor, having Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 38, he is now 53
Scientists, led by The University of Queensland in Australia, said men face both higher rates of cancer and deaths from the disease, and warned if the reasons why aren’t addressed the problem will only get worse.
By cancer type non-melanoma skin cancer is predicted to have the biggest global case rise, with diagnoses increasing by almost 122 per cent to over a million cases globally.
Mesothelioma, a cancer of in the lining of the lungs most famously linked to asbestos exposure and bladder cancer are also predicted to see increases of over 100 per cent in men.
For deaths, prostate cancer is predicted to account for the biggest growth with global fatalities from the disease by 136 per cent to almost one million 2050.
Similar explosive growth is also predicted for bladder cancer deaths as well as those from non-melanoma skin cancer.
However, lung cancer will still account for the greatest total death toll in the decades to come with over 2million deaths globally by 2050, up almost 95 per cent on today’s figures.
While cancer deaths were predicted to increase by a large amount among men aged 65 and over, rising by over 124 per cent in 2050, younger men also faced a worrying increase in the disease.
Experts calculated the number of cancer deaths among younger men, aged 15-to-64, are set to increase by almost 40 per cent to almost 3million deaths in 2050.
Experts have previously raised the alarm about a mysterious ‘epidemic’ in cancer cases among the under 50s.
Figures for Europe and the Americas were far from the global total this however, with only a respective near 2 per cent increase and 32 per cent increase in cancers in young men.
Publishing their findings in the journal Cancer the authors said men around the world face a higher rates of cancer and cancer-deaths than women due to various factors.
These included lower participation in cancer prevention activities, underuse of screening in men, increased exposure to cancer risk such as higher overall rates of smoking and drinking, higher rates of exposure to cancer causing substances at work, and finally innate biological differences compared to women.
This trend cancer sex divide has been observed by multiple studies.
British experts have previously found men are 60 per cent more likely to get cancer than women and 70 per cent more likely to die from it.
This was a figure specifically for cancers that affect both men and women, rather than sex specific ones like testicular or ovarian cancers.
In addition to the factors listed above, experts have also noted that men are more likely to ignore potential cancer symptoms for longer and not seek help from a GP as quickly as women a factor that can contribute to their poorer cancer outcomes.
Lead author of the latest study Dr Habtamu Mellie Bizuayehu, of Queensland, said their findings showed the need to implement measures now to reduce the number of men getting and dying from cancer in the decades to come.
‘A national and international collaboration, as well as a coordinated multisectoral approach, are essential to improve current cancer outcomes and to reverse the anticipated rise in cancer burden by 2050,’ he said.
‘Implementing and expanding universal health coverage and expanding health infrastructure and establishing publicly funded medical schools and scholarships for training medical and public health staff can improve cancer care and equity.’
Data in the study, divided by World Health Organization (WHO) regions, shows that in Europe, which contains Britain, cancer cases in men are predicted to grow 40 per cent to almost 4million per year by 2050.
Annual deaths from the disease in this region are also estimated to rise by 50 per cent to almost 2million in this period.
Data for the Americas shows cases in this WHO region will rise by 79 per cent to 4million cases, and deaths up almost 90 per cent to over 1million.
Researchers also highlighted how the burden of male cancers is going to hit some areas of the world harder than others.
For example, in the WHO Africa region cancer cases and deaths among men are predicted to rise by over 150 per cent.
Dr Bizuayehu said this showed the importance of improving cancer outcomes in poorer nations.
‘Emphasis should be placed on low and medium human development index countries with high unmet cancer service needs despite a significant cancer burden,’ he said.
The authors noted their study may have been impacted by the varying data quality issues for cancer diagnosis and deaths in different countries
The WHO data, on which the new male-cancer analysis is based, was also used earlier this year to show cancer deaths in the UK are set to soar by more than 50 per cent by 2050.
Experts said a rising and ageing population – combined with unhealthy lifestyles – were set to fuel a surge in cases.
That country specific analysis showed the UK will suffer tens of thousands more cases and deaths in each year than previously estimated.
It also showed Brits have some of the highest chances of getting cancer on the Continent but fare better than the French and the Danes.
However, it also showed patients in the UK are more likely to die from cancer than people in the US.
On cancer cases specifically in young people, data from Cancer Research UK, shows the incidence rate of the disease among younger Brits (aged between 25-49) is now just over 162 cases per 100,000 people each year.
This is 22 per cent higher than the figure in the 90s.
And the increase cannot be dismissed as just being due to better cancer detection methods, experts argue.
For comparison, rates among the over 75s, who account for about half of all cancer cases in the UK, only increased by 9 per cent in the same period.
Cases among the under 50s are still, statistically speaking, rare, only accounting for one in 10 cases of the disease in Britain.
However, the rate of increase, and the fact that so far scientists have been unable to pin the cause, is worrying experts.
Oncologist Dr Shivan Sivakumar, from the University of Birmingham, previously described the situation as an ‘epidemic’.
He said: ‘There is an epidemic currently of young people (under 50) getting cancer.
‘It is unknown the cause of this, but we are seeing more patients getting abdominal cancers.’
A study published in the British Medical Journal last year found cases of early onset of cancer increased overall globally by 79 per cent between 1990 and 2019.
The experts also predicted cases of cancer in the young are set to rise further, by an additional 31 per cent by 2030.
More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year on average in the UK, making it the most common cancer in men. Around 12,000 men die every year from the disease — the equivalent of one every 45 minutes
WHO data shows Australia had the highest number of early-onset cancer diagnoses in the world, with a rate of 135 per 100,000 people in 2022.
New Zealand came second, with 119 cases in per 100,000 people among the young.
In comparison the UK and the US were far lower but still high in the global rankings, coming 28th and 6th, respectively.
Male celebrities have also been caught in the rising pattern of increasing cancer cases in the young, known medically as ‘early-onset’ cancer, when the disease strikes people under the age of 50.
Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman is one, having been killed by colon cancer at 43.
Star Wars actor Ewan McGregor, The Wanted singer Tom Parker and Dexter star Michael C Hall, are other examples of male celebs who suffered from cancer before the age of 50.
