Talking points

Some statistics

• About 1 in 5 people get cancer in their lifetime (1 in 3 people in many European countries, 1 in 2 in the US and the UK).
• Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Approximately 1 in 6 deaths is caused by it. 
• The most common cancers around the world is breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer and rectum- and prostate cancers. 
• Over 35 million new cancer cases are predicted in 2050, a 77 percent increase from the estimated 20 million cases in 2022. 

Cancer research worldwide 

• Research is, by its very nature, international, it simply takes place at different universities and laboratories around the world. And regardless of where research is conducted, patients everywhere benefit from the results.
• Today’s advanced research also relies heavily on international collaboration to achieve real breakthroughs. Most research leaders work across borders, and their findings are published in international journals, making the results accessible worldwide.
• Supporting the Swedish Cancer Society doesn’t mean supporting Sweden alone – it means contributing to the global effort to beat cancer. The research carried out in Sweden will help improve cancer care in many other countries – and vice versa.

Facts about Sweden and the Swedish Cancer Society 

• In Sweden, 7 out of 10 people who get cancer survive today. Seventy years ago, when the Swedish Cancer Society was founded, the survival rate was 1 in 3. 
• 65 000 lives have been saved in the past 25 years thanks to cancer research and preventive work. 
• One in three cancer cases is discovered at a late stage. 
• 16,000 cancer cases in Sweden can be prevented each year. 
• The Swedish Cancer Society is the largest charity in Sweden and currently supporting around 600 different research projects and over 100 research positions.
• The Swedish Cancer Society is an independent, non-profit organization without governmental support.
• Since the autumn of 2025, the Swedish Cancer Society introduced a special funding to support American scientists now struggling due to budget cuts in the US.