Data & methods
CANCER TOMORROW enables a quantification of the future cancer burden up to 2040 on the basis of the GLOBOCAN estimates for 2018, as showcased in CANCER TODAY.
As with all estimates, cancer predictions for future years should be interpreted with due caution (Bray and Møller, 2006). The key assumptions are that national rates, as estimated in 2018, do not change in the prediction period 2020–2040 and that the national population projections are correct for these years. As noted in CANCER TODAY, the quality and coverage of cancer data worldwide remain limited, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. IARC’s approach is not only to evaluate, compile, and use the data from the Agency’s cancer registry collaborators in these estimates but also to work alongside national staff to improve local data quality, registry coverage, and analytical capacity.