Original Article by Biénne Huisman | Spotlight | 7 October 2026
Cancer in South Africa is rising, with deaths forecast to nearly double by 2050. Learn what ageing, smoking and urbanisation mean for care.
Image | Vector Leart | Shutterstock/2421568635
Deaths from cancer in South Africa are forecast to nearly double, from about 64,000 in 2024 to 127,000 in 2050, according to Global Burden of Disease (GBD) projections. Experts quoted by Spotlight and Daily Maverick link the rise mainly to an ageing population and changing lifestyles.
The National Cancer Registry recorded about 91,600 diagnosed cases in 2024. However, it counts mainly lab-confirmed diagnoses, so it misses undiagnosed cases.
Experts say South Africa should track medicine shortages by whether patients get full treatment on time, not by stock figures alone.
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American Karl Deisseroth and Germans Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel have won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine for developing optogenetics. The technique uses light to control individual nerve cells in the brain. The Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute announced the award on Monday. It recognised the trio’s discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and […]
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A global study of over 6 million people confirms the gender pain gap, with women reporting more pain than men at every body site.
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