Ageing and Cancer series

UICC invites the cancer community to reflect on the complexities the rapid ageing of populations adds to cancer control and discuss how best to prepare healthcare systems, so that cancer care challenges for older patients are appropriately addressed.

A series of virtual dialogues discussing cancer control in the context of the 'longevity revolution'.

The world’s population is ageing rapidly. There are currently over 703 million people worldwide above the age of 65 years, representing 9.1% of the global population. Estimates suggest that this proportion will rise to 15.9% by 2050.

An ageing population poses a growing challenge for governments around the world because we do not yet have the health system responses in place to ensure that these additional years are lived in good health. This will have particular consequences for cancer control globally as cancer is more prevalent in older adults, with cases amongst the over-65s accounting for over 50% of the global cancer burden in 2018.

In this two-part series of Virtual Dialogues, UICC invites the cancer community to reflect on the complexities the rapid ageing of populations adds to cancer control and discuss how best to prepare healthcare systems, so that cancer care challenges for older patients are appropriately addressed.