Global Cancer Epidemiology Situation

Cancer is a major social, public health, and economic issue, accounting for one-quarter of global deaths related to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). According to estimates from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2022, there were approximately 20 million new cancer cases worldwide and about 9.7 million cancer deaths, with China ranking first globally in both incidence and mortality.

In terms of tumor types, lung cancer was the leading cancer in 2022, with about 2.5 million new cases, accounting for approximately one-eighth (12.4%) of global cancers, followed by female breast cancer (11.6%), colorectal cancer (9.6%), prostate cancer (7.3%), and stomach cancer (4.9%). Lung cancer is also the primary cause of cancer death, with about 1.8 million deaths (18.7%), followed by colorectal cancer (9.3%), liver cancer (7.8%), female breast cancer (6.9%), and stomach cancer (6.8%).

It is worth noting that the cancer disease spectrum varies across countries and regions, closely related to ethnicity, socioeconomic development levels, life expectancy, lifestyle habits, etc. Here, we use cancer epidemiology data from China and the United States to illustrate specifically.

In 2022, the estimated number of new malignant tumor cases in China was 4.8247 million, with lung cancer ranking first in incidence at an estimated 1.0606 million (22.0%), followed by colorectal cancer (517,100, 10.7%), thyroid cancer (466,100, 9.7%), liver cancer (367,700, 7.6%), and female breast cancer (357,200, 7.4%). The estimated number of malignant tumor deaths in China was 2.5742 million, with lung cancer ranking first at about 733,300 (28.5%), followed by liver cancer (316,500, 12.3%), stomach cancer (260,400, 10.1%), colorectal cancer (240,000, 9.3%), and esophageal cancer (187,500, 7.3%).

Since 2000, the incidence rates of various cancers in China have been generally stable or slowly declining, while some cancers may have shown significant increases due to advancements in detection technology, and the overall mortality rate has shown a downward trend.

In 2025, the United States is estimated to have about 2 million new cancer cases and approximately 610,000 cancer deaths. Among males, the top three incidence rates are: prostate cancer (30%), lung cancer (11%), colorectal cancer (8%); the top three mortality rates are: lung cancer (20%), prostate cancer (11%), colorectal cancer (9%). Among females, the top three incidence rates are: breast cancer (32%), lung cancer (12%), colorectal cancer (7%); the top three mortality rates are: lung cancer (21%), breast cancer (14%), pancreatic cancer (8%).

From a long-term trend perspective, most cancers show declining incidence rates. In males, prostate cancer shows a layered lead, accounting for 30% of overall male cancer incidences. Notably, the incidence rate of prostate cancer in males, after experiencing rapid rises and falls, showed a clear turning point around 2015, presenting a rapid upward trend, and has always maintained the position of the highest incidence rate in the United States. Lung cancer and colorectal cancer show clear downward trends, both declining by about one-third compared to 1975. In females, breast cancer accounts for 32% of incidences, remaining high since 1975, with fluctuations but an overall upward trend. At the same time, the incidence rates of lung cancer, melanoma, thyroid cancer, and liver cancer show a yearly increasing trend. Lung cancer is a high-incidence disease in both males and females, and ranks first in mortality. Looking at nearly 100 years of history, the lung cancer mortality rate in males reached a historical peak around 1990, comparable to the incidence rate at that time, and then rapidly declined. The rise was mainly due to environmental pollution from China's industrialization around 1930 and high smoking rates from tobacco prevalence, while the decline was primarily from anti-smoking campaigns starting around 1960. Mortality rates for other cancers in males show slow downward trends. In females, the overall mortality rate is on a downward trend, with lung cancer reaching a peak around 2000 and then rapidly declining.

Overall, from the perspective of China's cancer center, lung cancer and breast cancer occupy important positions in the cancer disease spectrum in both China and the United States. China's cancer disease spectrum structure presents a coexistence of spectra from developed and developing countries, with digestive tract tumors having higher incidence and mortality rates, while also facing gradually increasing colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, etc.

Over the past half-century, with lifestyle interventions, early cancer screening, and rapid developments in treatment methods, the cancer mortality curve has changed significantly. According to U.S. SEER epidemiology data, the overall 5-year relative survival rate for cancer has increased from 49% in the 1970s to 69% in 2013-2019. Looking at the global top 10 incidence cancer types, there are still significant gaps in 5-year survival rates between China and the United States for some cancers.

From a research and development perspective, from January 1, 2015, to now, whether in terms of the number of globally/China-approved innovative drugs or the number of global registrational clinical trials conducted, non-small cell lung cancer and breast cancer firmly rank first and second. Additionally, diseases that rank in the top 10 across three dimensions include multiple myeloma, prostate cancer, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and colorectal cancer.

Combining the aforementioned clinical epidemiology data and drug development heat analysis, we selected six representative tumor types with higher incidence rates and more in-development products for analysis: solid tumors including non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, stomach cancer, prostate cancer; hematological tumors including multiple myeloma and lymphoma. In the future, we will continue to summarize other representative tumor types as needed.

DengyueMed, as China's leading innovative drug wholesaler, is committed to promoting the research and development and circulation of global anticancer drugs. Through close cooperation with international medical institutions and research organizations, it promotes the globalization of China's original anticancer drugs and provides broader treatment options for global patients.