Icon Group joins new initiative as a founding partner to change the future of cancer in urban populations

With 1 in 3 people directly affected by cancer, the disease is one of the world’s most pressing health concerns, killing over 8 million people per year, more than HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB combined.

Cancer is estimated to cost world economies as much as US$1.16 trillion annually – a figure that is projected to grow exponentially if action is not taken now to reduce the spiralling growth in the number of cases and the impact on both individuals and healthcare budgets. The greatest financial and human impact of cancer is felt within low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), those least equipped to respond to this growing burden, but also where rapid urbanisation is bringing significant public health and sustainable development challenges.

The global community has committed to reduce premature deaths from NCDs 25% by 2025 and by 33% by 2030, but to date, much of the effort to reduce mortality has focused on addressing shared risk factors for cancer and other NCDs. This alone is insufficient in meeting these global targets. With 54% of the world’s population already living in cities, and that number expected to rise above 66% in the coming decades, C/Can 2025 will address the urgent need to move political commitments made at the global level into fully functional, comprehensive cancer solutions, which can reach the majority of the world’s population, and have a direct and concrete impact on cancer mortality rates and the target to reduce premature deaths by 2025.