The aim of the WHO cancer country profile is to synthesize the current status of cancer control for each WHO Member State (194 total) as well as by WHO regions (six in total). These profiles establish an updated country baseline and support monitoring trends toward the achievement of global commitments including Sustainable Development Goal target 3.4 to reduce premature mortality, the Elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem and Global initiative for childhood cancer.

The profiles include the following information:

• burden of cancer: including total number of cases and deaths, leading types of cancer, contribution of select risk factors measured by PAFs (population attributable fraction) and cancer as a percentage of NCD premature deaths;
• cancer trends: estimated trends for breast and lung cancers; probability of premature death from cancer and its projected linear trend toward 2030;
• investment case: regional investment requirements and corresponding number of lives saved during scale-up;
• health system capacity: including workforce, information systems and devices and technologies per 10 000 cancer patients in a particular country;
• current policy response and service availability: including cancer plans and/or broader noncommunicable disease prevention and control; capacity in cancer early detection, treatment and palliative care; and current consumption of opioids for pain management; and
• highlights of progress in WHO global initiatives: specifically cervical and childhood cancers.

The data presented in the profiles are derived from several sources. For details on these, please see the Explanatory notes.