Future trends in oncology

Abstract

The incidence of cancer will continue to increase more rapidly than the population in both industrialized and developing countries. The number of older patients will rise. Cancer will be a major health challenge in the future. Patients will become more and more involved in decisions relating to their care and their quality of life, behaving in a more adult way than hitherto. Specific treatments will continue to develop, leading to more cures and to longer survival for patients who are not cured. The fight against cancer could be organized in such a way as to make it possible to provide global care of patients through comprehensive cancer networks. Supportive care could increasingly take the form of continuous care covering every step in the fight against cancer, starting with prevention and screening.