Growing old with cancer

The world’s population is ageing rapidly. There are currently over 703 million people worldwide above the age of 65 years, representing 9.1% of the global population. Estimates suggest that this proportion will rise to 15.9% (1.5 billion people) by 2050. Population ageing will have consequences for cancer control globally as cancer is more prevalent in older adults. Cancer can develop at any age, but the incidence of cancer rises dramatically at a later stage in life.