SYDNEY, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- More than 2.6 million Australians are projected to be living with a cancer diagnosis in 2050, an increase of about 1 million from 2025, new modelling shows.
The total number of people across all age groups living with cancer is projected to rise 57 percent, from 1.66 million in 2025 to 2.61 million in 2050, driven by population growth, an ageing population, rising incidence of some cancer types and improved cancer survival due to both early detection via screening and improved treatments, according to a statement released Monday by Australia's University of Sydney (USYD).
The number of people aged 80 and over living with cancer is expected to more than double, from 480,000 in 2025 to more than 1 million in 2050, according to the study published in Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific.
Around 1.15 million people are expected to be undergoing active treatment or closely monitoring a cancer that has not been cured in 2050, according to the research, which projects that by 2050, breast cancer will be Australia's most prevalent cancer, followed by prostate, melanoma, colorectal and kidney cancer.
"If we can intervene early, through improved prevention, early detection, diagnosis and care pathways, that number would fall dramatically," said joint senior author Professor Karen Canfell, who leads the USYD's Cancer Elimination Collaboration. ■