Cancer is a global health priority. New figures from GLOBOCAN 2012 state that there were 14.1 million new cancer cases and 8.2 million deaths attributable to cancer in 2012, an increase of over 10 percent in four years, driven by the growth and the aging of the global population. At the same time, the cost of treating cancer is rising at an even faster rate: for example, in the US, cancer spending is estimated to have grown from $27 billion in 1990 to $90 billion in 2008, and is forecast to reach $157 billion in 2020. Meanwhile, more than 50 percent of all new cancers and two-thirds of the annual cancer mortality worldwide happen in low-income and middle-income countries, with this proportion expected to increase.

A multitude of factors are driving unsustainable and dramatic cost inflation. The aim of the Forum will be to make actionable recommendations that might enable policymakers to ‘bend the cost curve’ and ensure sustainable access to cancer care.