Summary: 

In 2010, taking into consideration the direct costs related to the prevention and treatment of the disease and the economic value of lives lost and disability caused, cancer cost the world approximately $1.16 trillion. Further estimates, which add the longer-term costs to patients and their families, bring the annual global cost of cancer to $2.5 trillion. 

High-income regions spend 5-10 times more on cancer control on a per capita basis than low- and middle-income countries.

The measures with the highest potential for clinical and economic influence are those geared toward tobacco and obesity control, vaccines, early detection and treatment, palliative care, and health systems planning, with the creation of cancer registries.