The number of cancer cases is increasing in the EU, with increasing social and economic impact
Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the European Union, and the number of new cases continues to rise. In parallel, the member countries are allocating increasing amounts for prevention, diagnosis and treatment, in the context of an increasing social burden.
In 2024, 2.7 million new cases of cancer were registered in the 27 EU member states, according to a recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), News.ro cites. Since 2000, the number of new cases has increased by approximately 30% in both women and men.
At the same time, expert estimates point to another half a million new cases by 2040.
The increase is attributed to the aging of the population, risk factors related to lifestyle and the expansion of screening programs, which leads to the detection of more cases.
In 2024, every minute, on average, 2.4 women and 2.8 men were diagnosed with cancer.
In women, half of the cases were represented by three types of malignancy: breast cancer (30%), colorectal cancer (12%) and lung cancer (9%). In men, the most common were prostate cancer (22%), lung cancer (14%) and colorectal cancer (13%).
Relative to the population, the rate of new cases increased by 16% in the last two decades
The increase was mainly determined by the more frequent detection of thyroid cancer, the change in reproductive patterns in the case of breast cancer and factors such as exposures in the first years of life and diet in the case of colorectal cancer.
In women between the ages of 15 and 49, the evolution of the number of cases represented almost a quarter of the total difference in incidence observed after the year 2000, while in men of the same age group the rate remained almost at the same level.
The largest increases in young women were for thyroid cancer (+9.9 cases per 100,000 women), breast cancer (+8.7), skin melanoma (+4.2) and colorectal cancer (+0.8).
Significant increases in breast cancer have been reported in Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden. The highest incidence of thyroid cancer in young women was recorded in Cyprus, Croatia and Italy.
In men, between 2000 and 2022, the incidence of early-onset testicular cancer and skin melanoma increased by +3.7 and +2.8 cases per 100,000 people, respectively. The biggest increases in testicular cancer were seen in Croatia, the Netherlands and Poland.
In the context of this evolution, the European states have increased the expenses for oncology. A report published in 2025 by the Swedish Institute for Health Economics shows that, in 2023, the share of cancer spending varied from about 4% of health budgets in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway) to about 8% in France, Germany and in Central and Eastern European states such as Bulgaria, Lithuania, Poland and Romania.
At EU level, spending on cancer has doubled since 1995 and will reach 6.9% of total health spending in 2023. Between 1993 and 2023, growth was faster in Central and Eastern Europe than in other regions, narrowing the differences between countries. In the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands, the growth rate of cancer expenditure exceeded the total increase in health expenditure, while the same phenomenon was not observed in Estonia, Finland, Norway or Slovenia.
By 2050, against the backdrop of an aging population and an increase in the number of cases, per capita expenditure on cancer could be 59% higher, in real terms, in the 27 Member States.
Cancer screening programs aimed at the general population have been shown to be cost-effective as they increase early detection and survival rates. However, the participation rate in cancer screening programs differs significantly from country to country and between people with different levels of education or socioeconomic status.
According to the OECD, men with a low level of education have an 83% higher cancer mortality rate than those with a high level of education. For women, the difference is 31%.
In addition, people diagnosed with cancer frequently experience persistent difficulties with employment, financial stability and psychosocial health.
On average, a cancer diagnosis reduces the probability of being employed by 14%, with a more pronounced impact in Central and Southern Europe, informs Euronews.
