Global status report on cancer 2026
The future we choose together
The Global status report on cancer 2026 provides the most comprehensive picture ever assembled of the world's progress against cancer. It provides new data on the burden of disease, the capacity of health systems to respond, and the lived experiences of those affected.
The report reveals two stories unfolding in parallel: unprecedented scientific advances and persistent inequities in who benefits from them. Across the cancer care continuum, it measures the gap between ambition and action. Through seven recommendations across three strategic shifts – better capabilities, better protections, and better value - the report outlines a shared path toward a future where progress against cancer reaches everyone.
Global status report on cancer 2026: the future we...
Moving towards a people-centered cancer control agenda
The report marks an important opportunity to place people affected by cancer at the centre of cancer control efforts. It calls on governments, international organisations, civil society, academic institutions, the private sector, and WHO to work together to deliver a people-centred and holistic approach to care for individuals and families affected by cancer.
To support this vision, the report outlines seven key recommendations and three strategic shifts to be implemented across all countries and communities:
- Better capabilities: Integrate cancer control into universal health coverage and invest in human capital to prevent and control cancer;
- Better protections: Place people with lived experience at the centre of cancer systems while strengthening social protection; and
- Better value: Align research and innovation with public health needs and ensure equitable access to valued-based advances in care.
The choices made and actions taken today will shape the cancer burden borne by future generations. By adopting a people-centred approach, making strategic and sustained investments, and maintaining an unwavering commitment to equity, countries can reduce the cancer burden and improve outcomes for everyone, everywhere.
Resources
Fact sheets