CANCER cases in the UK have topped 400,000 per year for the first time.
Cancer Research UK said a new patient is diagnosed every 80 seconds on average, approximately 403,000 people every year.
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Cancer Research UK says NHS clinics are under strain as record numbers of people need treatment (stock image) Credit: Alamy
It is a record high driven by our growing, ageing population – and also high rates of obesity with two thirds of Brits now overweight.
The charity warns that improvements to survival rates have stalled, in part due to NHS delays and late diagnosis.
Prostate and breast cancer remain the most common types, each affecting nearly 60,000 men and women annually.
Michelle Mitchell, chief of CRUK, said: “More people are being diagnosed with cancer than ever before.
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“Although cancer survival has doubled since the 1970s, progress has slowed over the last decade.
“The Government’s recently published National Cancer Plan for England could make a big difference, but only if it turns into improvements for cancer patients.”
Patients diagnosed today are half as likely to die as patients in the 1970s but experts warn we must catch tumours earlier to further boost survival.
Nearly half of patients are still diagnosed in stage three or four when it might be too late for a cure, CRUK said.
NHS delays for treatment may also harm survival chances as the health service has been missing treatment target times for years.
Cancer Research UK also called for more widespread lung screening for people without symptoms, to pick up cases before they advance.
It said: “Without urgent action to prevent cancer, diagnose it earlier and ensure timely treatment, outcomes for cancer patients will continue to fall behind other comparable countries.”
ENGLAND ‘TO BE WORLD LEADER’ IN CANCER CARE
Health Secretary Wes Streeting unveiled his national cancer plan in February with a bold ambition to become “a global leader in cancer outcomes by 2035”.
The health service will lean on a technology revolution with new scanners, artificial intelligence and the NHS app to speed up tests, treatment and support.
The plan reveals blockbuster weight loss injections like Wegovy and Mounjaro, also known as GLP-1 medicines, could play a key part.
It said: “These are a huge boon in tackling obesity – a leading risk factor for cancer – and are showing positive indications on survival for some cancers, though more research is needed.”
Mr Streeting said England must no longer be a “long-standing laggard” with cancer survival rates lagging behind European neighbours.
For example we rank 12th out of 27 countries on five-year breast cancer survival, 15th on prostate, 21st on lung and 17th on bowel.
The Health Secretary promised “radical change” and said: “Millions of people are relying on us to do better.”
The report adds: “We will become a global leader on cancer survival by 2035.
“The successful implementation of this plan will mean that three in every four people diagnosed in 2035 will be cancer-free or living well with cancer after five years.
“That translates to 320,000 more lives saved over the course of this plan, and the fastest rate of improvement this century.”
Currently only about 60 per cent of UK cancer patients survive for five years or more.
