The world must prepare for a global “tsunami” of elderly cancer patients, say doctors from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
As the average life expectancy increases, more cancer cases are also expected.
– The big question is: will the healthcare system cope with this? says Professor Charles Swanton at the British Cancer Institute.
Old age and cancer unfortunately often go hand in hand. And as life expectancy increases worldwide, the number of elderly cancer patients will increase.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology, ASCO, has confirmed this in a new report, writes The Guardian.
Now doctors are warning and urging the global healthcare system to prepare for a “tsunami” of millions more cancer patients.
“27.5 million new cancer cases”
The doctors behind the report describe the increase as a “serious public health problem” and Andrew Chapman, a specialist in geriatric oncology, does not think the healthcare system is ready for it.
– Are we really ready to meet this increased need? It doesn’t look so global, he said at the ASCO annual meeting in Chicago, the world’s largest cancer conference.
They believe that the healthcare system should act immediately to avoid being overwhelmed by the “tsunami”.
“By 2040, the global toll is expected to grow to 27.5 million new cancer cases and 16.3 million cancer deaths due to population growth and aging alone,” said Julie Gralow, chief medical officer and vice president of ASCO.