Expert in Australia warns of global cancer workforce shortfall by 2050

MELBOURNE - A global report has warned of a looming global shortfall of nearly 100 million cancer care workers by 2050, as rising case numbers threaten to overwhelm health systems worldwide, reported Xinhua.

Professor Andrew Scott of Australia's Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, a co-author of a new Lancet Oncology Commission report, said in a statement on Monday that urgent investment in workforce development, particularly in medical imaging, was critical to improving cancer diagnosis and clinical outcomes in Australia and globally.

The report, published in The Lancet Oncology, projects cancer incidence could rise by up to 75 per cent, reaching about 35 million new cases annually within 25 years, with more than 70 per cent occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

It also estimates that one in three cancers worldwide is currently undiagnosed, with rates exceeding 60 per cent in parts of Africa.

The study warns that the largest workforce gaps will be in nursing and community health roles, as well as diagnostic services, risking further widening disparities in survival rates.

Five-year survival is projected to remain significantly lower in Africa (34 per cent) and Asia (39 per cent) by 2050, compared with high-income regions where rates are expected to exceed 60 per cent, it shows.

Scott said investing in imaging services and workforce capacity is essential, noting early detection through medical imaging plays a key role in effective cancer care, particularly in regional areas where access can be limited.

The commission urges urgent global investment in workforce development, digital health and training, estimating that scaling up the cancer workforce could avert up to 170 million deaths and deliver significant economic benefits. - BERNAMA