The global cancer burden is estimated to have risen to 18.1 million new cases and is responsible for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018. Globally, about 1 in 6 deaths is due to cancer. Unless greater effort is done to alter the course of the disease, this number is expected to rise to close to 30 million new cases by 2040. About 70% of deaths from cancer occur in Low-and Middle-Income countries (LMICs). In South Africa, the estimated cancer cases are 107,464 in 2018 and may increase to 177,773 in 2040. In South Africa, breast, prostrate and colo-rectal cancer rank in the top 10 cancers with cases of 15,491, 13,152 and 7354 respectively in 2020. It is known that early detection and treatment may improve health outcomes associated with the disease for adults and this would depend on the equitable access to available and affordable low cost highly active cancer medicines.

Read more: https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-021-06627-6