Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the Caribbean, surpassed only by cardiovascular disease, the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) said Wednesday as it marked World Cancer Day.
In a statement issued under this year’s theme, “United by Unique,” CARPHA said cancer continues to be a major global and regional health threat. In 2022, the Caribbean recorded an estimated 119,000 new cancer cases and more than 66,000 cancer-related deaths.
Driven by ageing populations and growing exposure to key risk factors, the cancer burden across Latin America and the Caribbean is projected to rise by 69 percent by 2045, underscoring the urgency of sustained and coordinated action, the agency said.
CARPHA noted that several Caribbean countries rank among those with the highest cancer burdens globally for certain cancer types. Nine of the 15 countries worldwide with the highest estimated age-standardised incidence rates for prostate cancer are in the Caribbean, including Guadeloupe, Martinique, Barbados, Puerto Rico, French Guiana, The Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, with Guadeloupe recording the highest rate globally.
Eight Caribbean countries also rank among the 15 with the highest estimated prostate cancer incidence rates, including Jamaica, Barbados, Haiti, The Bahamas, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic and St Lucia.
Jamaica, The Bahamas and Barbados rank second, third and fourth globally, respectively, for cervical cancer mortality.
CARPHA said the heavy burden highlights the need for stronger cancer control policies and reliable surveillance systems capable of producing high-quality data to guide prevention and treatment efforts.
Executive Director Dr Lisa Indar said CARPHA will this year release Cancer Incidence in the Caribbean, Volume I, a regional surveillance report presenting cancer incidence data from national registries in Barbados, Bermuda, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago.
“This report will provide critical evidence to inform policy, strengthen prevention and control strategies, and advance national and regional cancer surveillance,” Dr Indar said, noting that regional efforts have improved data quality and strengthened cancer registration capacity.
CARPHA said Caribbean countries have made progress in recent years by strengthening existing population-based cancer registries or establishing new systems. Currently, 15 countries have national cancer control plans or have integrated cancer into broader noncommunicable disease strategies.
However, the agency said cancer control efforts remain uneven across the region, with some countries lacking national plans and reliable surveillance data. Access to diagnostic and treatment services, screening programmes and palliative care also varies widely, while late-stage diagnoses remain common in several countries.
To improve data-driven decision-making, CARPHA established the International Agency for Research on Cancer Caribbean Cancer Registry Hub in 2015, working with partners including the US National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization.
“As the region observes World Cancer Day 2026, sustaining and building on the achievements of the Caribbean Hub remains essential to maintaining momentum toward equitable, people-centred and data-informed cancer control,” CARPHA said.
