Cancer represents a major disease burden in the Americas, second only to cardiovascular disease. In 2020, there were over 4.2 new cases of cancer in the region, and it is projected to increase 60% by 2045 to 6.7 million cases. Cancer is a leading cause of death in the Americas. In 2022, cancer accounted for 1.4 million deaths, 45% of which occurred in people 69 years old or younger.
Avoiding key risk factors could prevent about a third of all cancer cases. These include tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity. Many cancers have a high chance of cure if detected early and treated adequately.
In the Region of the Americas:
- The most frequently diagnosed types of cancer in men are prostate (21.8%), lung (8.6%), colorectal (7.7%), and bladder (4.5%).
- The most frequently diagnosed types of cancer in women are breast (26.1%), lung (8.5%), colorectal (7.9%), and uterus (5.4%).
- The most common causes of cancer death in men are lung (17.5%), prostate (13.3%), colorectal (9.6%), and pancreas (6.4%).
- The most common causes of cancer death in women are breast (15.7%), lung (15.6%), colorectal (9.6%), and pancreas (6.6%).
In Latin America and the Caribbean:
- Over 220,000 new cases of breast cancer and nearly 60,000 deaths from breast cancer were registered in the subregion.
- More than 63,000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer in Latin America and the Caribbean, and more than 33,000 lost their lives to the disease.
All people, both collectively and individually, can contribute to reducing the cancer burden.
Individually, people can:
- Talk to their doctor about their risk of cancer and how to reduce it
- Participate in cancer screening and early detection programs
- Adopt healthy lifestyles to reduce cancer risks
- Advocate for better access to cancer screening and treatment services
- If they or a loved one has had cancer, share their experiences with others
- Support people living with cancer
- Understand that early detection and early treatment save lives.
Collectively, we can:
- Prevent cancer
- Detect cancer early and improve treatment results
- Create health-promoting public policies to reduce cancer risk factors
- Ensure palliative care policies and access to pain medications
- Improve access to cancer care and cancer treatments
- Demonstrate the need to invest in cancer detection, treatment, and research
- Better understand the causes and risk factors of cancer and how to prevent it
- Train health professionals to join the fight against cancer
- Educate and inform the public about cancer.
PAHO promotes the reduction of tobacco use and harmful alcohol use, a healthy diet, and increased physical activity. It also supports the introduction of HPV vaccines and HPV testing to prevent cervical cancer and improves the quality and access to early breast cancer diagnosis. PAHO also supports improvements in radiotherapy services and access to affordable essential chemotherapy drugs and promotes the expansion of palliative care policies, programs, and opioids for pain relief and symptom management.
Strategies proposed by PAHO/WHO to reduce the risk of cancer and other noncommunicable diseases include:
- Increasing taxes, restricting access, and warning about the dangers of tobacco and harmful use of alcohol
- Promoting public awareness about healthy diet, physical activity and healthy weight
- Immunizing infants against hepatitis B to prevent liver cancer, and immunizing girls against human papillomavirus to prevent cervical cancer
- Organizing screening programs for cervical cancer and breast cancer to detect them at early stages, when they are more amenable to treatment
