Despite data from the latest edition of The Cancer Atlas showing that nearly half of cancer mortality worldwide is attributed to modifiable risk factors, cancer incidence and mortality rates continue to soar.1 Globally, approximately 19 million new cases of cancer, excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer, and close to 10 million cancer-related deaths occur each year. And although cancer mortality continues to decline in the United States—down 34% from 1991 to 2022, averting about 4.5 million deaths2—incidence rates are rising in women and young adults, shifting the burden of disease. Without global cancer control, according to The Cancer Atlas report, the worldwide cancer burden is expected to increase by about 74% from 2022 to 2050 as a result of population aging and growth, ballooning cancer incidence to 33 million and cancer deaths to 18 million.1
Even with these dire statistics, survey results from 115 countries on the global burden of cancer, published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), showed that only 39% of participating countries covered the basics of cancer management as part of their financed core health services for their citizens. In addition, just 28% covered services for patients requiring palliative care.3
In response to the low percentage of countries developing national cancer control plans and to drive greater access to equitable cancer care in low- and middle-income countries, this past May, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) hosted the Cancer Planners Forum 2025. This first global conference was dedicated to addressing the urgent need for governments worldwide to develop and effectively implement comprehensive national cancer control plans in their countries. Held in Geneva and organized in partnership with the IARC, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the International Cancer Control Partnership, the conference brought together more than 100 participants, including 44 cancer control planners from 40 countries.
“A primary goal of the Forum was to create a space for people to share their knowledge, experiences, best practices, and challenges for developing a strong national cancer control plan in their countries and how to move forward with these ideas,” said Ulrika Årehed Kågström, President of the UICC. “Even though many countries have established a national cancer control plan, most are not funded and implemented. This meeting was a way to change that dynamic, and it was a huge success.”
Ulrika Årehed Kågström
Now, in the second year of her 2-year tenure as President of the UICC, Ms. Kågström talked with The ASCO Post during the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting about her accomplishments as head of the organization and the challenges that remain.
Marking a Year of Successes
When we met this past year, you were about to start your 2-year tenure as President of UICC, and you discussed your four top priorities: improving equity in cancer control; improving cancer control in low-resource countries; uniting and supporting the cancer community by engaging UICC members; and extending UICC’s relationships with its international partners to secure global and national commitments to reduce the global cancer burden. Please talk about the results you are seeing so far in accomplishing these goals.
One major accomplishment is the launch of UICC Connect, an online knowledge-sharing and community platform for UICC members. This is a platform where members can engage in discussions on how to make a significant impact in global cancer control and connect with other cancer experts to share ideas. So far, more than 600 member organizations have signed on to the platform.
We have also seen greater member participation in the Access to Oncology Medicines (ATOM) Coalition, which the UICC launched in 2022 to build a global initiative in collaboration with more than 40 partners across the private and civil society sectors to address the barriers to availability, affordability, and appropriate use of oncology medicines in low- and lower middle–income countries. And we are seeing progress in the expansion of access to cancer medicines in these countries. For example, the ATOM Coalition established sustainable access pathways for nine cancer medicines in 19 countries, providing care for nearly 2,000 patients. It also introduced new tools and initiatives, including a health financing diagnostic tool assessing national financing systems in Georgia, Kenya, Zambia, and the Philippines. So, that work continues.
And, there was the inaugural meeting of the Cancer Planners Forum, which was successful in showcasing the need for countries to develop and implement a national cancer control plan in response to cancer and to address the gaps in care. The exchange of ideas was informative and fostered collaboration. Cancer control planners left the meeting with solutions on how to establish and fund a cancer control plan in their country, and we’ll be monitoring the progress being made over the next year.
Determining the Effect of U.S. Withdrawal From the WHO
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order withdrawing the United States from the WHO and pausing the future transfer of funding to the organization.4 The administration also directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to cease all communication and collaboration with the WHO.5 What have been the ramifications of these actions in the global cancer community?
It is too early to fully understand and assess the consequences of these actions on global cancer control. We do know that having global collaboration in reducing the worldwide cancer burden has resulted in groundbreaking advances in cancer research and increases in cancer survival. Of course, we know many international organizations that have been impacted by the cuts in funding. We just don’t know yet the full extent of the consequences. But we do know that reducing the global burden of cancer requires all of us working together.
What we are doing at the UICC is looking for new ways to work with different partners to find other revenue streams and to work smarter to fund the programs we have in place. Cancer affects everyone, everywhere, so losing U.S. funding for the WHO has created uncertainty throughout the whole cancer control system. Although we are hoping other countries will step up to help replace the funding, it’s unlikely other countries, foundations, and international groups will be able to restore the billions lost in U.S. cuts.
We are also still figuring out the fallout from the disruption in communication and collaboration between the CDC and the international health organizations, as well as the impact on cancer research funding and cancer control efforts globally. We just don’t have the full picture yet.
Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance and Its Impact on Cancer
This past year when we met, you discussed the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance and its impact on cancer care. A pair of studies led by UICC and other organizations are showing that patients with cancer in both the hospital and outpatient settings are at a substantially higher risk of developing antimicrobial resistant infections than are patients without cancer (up to five times higher in outpatient settings and up to two times higher in hospital settings).6,7 Please talk about any progress over the past year in the development of a global action plan to address antimicrobial resistance and its impact on patients with cancer.
One important step was the United Nations General Assembly’s political declaration, in 2024, to commit to concrete actions to address antimicrobial resistance across all sectors through a one-health approach; this strategy acknowledges that the health of humans, animals, and the environment is intrinsically linked.8
The threat of antimicrobial resistance and its impact on cancer treatment have been a priority for UICC since the United Nations World Health Assembly, in 2015, adopted the WHO global action plan to understand and address the factors that contribute to the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance and also implement strategies for infection prevention and control. We lead a task force on antimicrobial resistance and its impact on cancer care outcomes, which includes experts in infectious diseases and from cancer communities. We are also focusing on raising patient voices about how they are affected by drug resistance caused by antimicrobial resistance.
You mentioned the two studies we were involved with to understand the impact of antimicrobial resistance on patients with cancer and on the advances being made in cancer treatment by making infections more difficult to treat and potentially leading to treatment delays, increased mortality, and higher health-care costs. We are starting to realize some progress in addressing the urgent challenge posed by antimicrobial resistance and in the delivery of effective cancer treatment.
Confronting the Challenges Ahead
As you look to the year ahead, what new challenges are you facing?
Among the challenges is the increasing number of patients with cancer. According to The Cancer Atlas report, without intervention, the number of individuals diagnosed with cancer could rise to more than 33 million and 18 million deaths by 2050.1 And the majority of new cases will occur in the countries least equipped to deal with these challenges. Although the increases in cancer incidence and mortality rates will occur everywhere, the majority will occur in low-resource settings, so that is a major challenge for us.
We are also facing the challenge of establishing and maintaining effective cancer control programs in politically unstable countries and in changing political landscapes, as well as the reluctance by some countries to fund cancer research. We have to put our minds together with the different stakeholders and figure out new ways to overcome these myriad challenges.
However, with challenges come new opportunities, so I’m optimistic we will overcome these difficulties through working with our partners to mobilize resources to reduce the cancer burden globally. In 2026, UICC will hold another long-term strategic review, taking into account all the challenges we face and developing a strong foundation to continue our mission to ensure that everyone, everywhere, has access to quality cancer care. I always use the phrase “Never waste a good crisis” (often attributed to Winston Churchill) to get me through difficult times, because there is always an opportunity to overcome challenges.
DISCLOSURE: Ms. Kågström reported no conflicts of interest.
REFERENCES
1. Jemal A, Sung H, Kelly K, et al: The Cancer Atlas, 4th edition, 2025. Available at https://publications.iarc.who.int/Non-Series-Publications/Other-Non-Series-Publications/The-Cancer-Atlas-4th-Edition-2025. Accessed August 27, 2025.
2. Siegel RL, Kratzer TB, Giaquinto AN, et al: Cancer statistics, 2025. CA Cancer J Clin 75:10-45, 2025.
3. World Health Organization: Global cancer burden growing, amidst mounting need for services. February 1, 2024. Available at www.who.int/news/item/01-02-2024-global-cancer-burden-growing--amidst-mounting-need-for-services. Accessed August 27, 2025.
4. The White House: Withdrawing the United States From the World Health Organization. January 20, 2025. Available at www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/withdrawing-the-united-states-from-the-worldhealth-organization/. Accessed August 27, 2025.
5. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: The U.S. and the WHO: An imperfect but essential relationship. January 30, 2025. Available at https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/the-consequences-of-the-us-withdrawal-from-the-who. Accessed August 27, 2025.
6. Gupta V, Satlin MJ, Yu KC, et al: Incidence and prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in outpatients with cancer: A multicentre retrospective cohort study. Lancet Oncol 26:620-628, 2025.
7. Gupta V, Satlin MJ, Yu K, et al: Burden of antimicrobial resistance in adult hospitalized patients with cancer: A multicenter analysis. Cancer Med 13:e70495, 2024.
8. United Nations: General Assembly adopts political declaration on antimicrobial resistance, demanding immediate action for safeguarding ability to treat disease, enhance food security. October 7, 2024. Available at https://press.un.org/en/2024/ga12642.doc.htm. Accessed August 27, 2025.
