Edward Christopher Dee, Mathieu Laversanne, Nirmala Bhoo-Pathy Lancet Oncol. 2025 Apr;26(4):516-528
Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in southeast Asia. We aimed to present and interpret cancer incidence and mortality statistics in the 11 constituent countries of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam to inform research priorities, health services, and cancer policy. For the 11 countries in southeast Asia for all cancers combined, 545 725 (47·6%) of a total of 1,146 810 incident cases were estimated in men and 601 085 (52·4%) incident cases were estimated in women in 2022. In the same period, 385 430 (53·8%) of a total of 716 116 deaths were estimated in men and 330 686 (46·2%) deaths were estimated in women. The total cancer ASIR in men and women was highest in Singapore (235·89 per 100 000 and 231·01 per 100 000 respectively), while the corresponding ASMR was greatest in Laos for men (132·91 per 100 000) and Brunei for women (104·20 per 100 000). Breast cancer was the most common cancer among women in all countries and the Philippines and the most common cause of cancer mortality among women in the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Viet Nam, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste. Among men, lung cancer was the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Indonesia and the leading cause of death due to cancer in the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste. Liver cancer contributed the greatest incidence and mortality in men in Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam, and Thailand, and was also the leading cause of death due to cancer among women in Laos, Cambodia. and Thailand. Cervical cancer was the leading cause of death due to cancer in women in Myanmar; colorectal cancer was the most common cancer in men in Singapore and Brunei. By 2050, 2·03 million new cases of cancer are anticipated in southeast Asia annually, an 89·2% increase in men and a 65·6% increase in women, relative to 2022.The current patterns of cancer incidence and mortality in southeast Asia are primarily driven by breast cancer in women and lung cancer in men, but infection-related cancers (liver and cervix) are common in some countries. Regional collaborations must be strengthened to improve cancer prevention, diagnosis, care, and research in southeast Asia.
23 Mar, 2026