Cancer Statistics for the UK

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Cases

New cases of cancer, 2015-2017, UK.

Deaths

Deaths from cancer, 2016-2018, UK.

Survival

Survive cancer for 10 or more years, 2010-11, England and Wales

Preventable cases

Cancer cases are preventable, UK, 2015

Cancer incidence

There are around 367,000 new cancer cases in the UK every year, that's around 1,000 every day (2015-2017).
In females in the UK, there were more than 179,000 new cancer cases in 2017.
In males in the UK, there were around 187,000 new cancer cases in 2017.
Every two minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer.
Breast, prostate, lung and bowel cancers together accounted for more than half (53%) of all new cancer cases in the UK in 2017.
Each year more than a third (36%) of all cancer cases in the UK are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over (2015-2017).
Incidence rates for all cancers combined in the UK are highest in people aged 85 to 89 (2015-2017).

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Cancer mortality

There are more than 166,000 cancer deaths in the UK every year, that's more than 450 every day (2016-2018).
In females in the UK, there were around 77,800 cancer deaths in 2018.
In males in the UK, there were around 89,000 cancer deaths in 2018.
Every four minutes someone in the UK dies from cancer.
Lung, bowel, breast and prostate cancers together accounted for almost half (45%) of all cancer deaths in the UK in 2018.
Around a fifth of all cancer deaths are from lung cancer.
Mortality rates for all cancers combined in the UK are highest in people aged 90+ (2016-2018).
Each year more than half (54%) of all cancer deaths in the UK are in people aged 75 and over (2016-2018).

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Cancer survival

Half (50%) of people diagnosed with cancer in England and Wales survive their disease for ten years or more (2010-11).
Cancer survival is higher in women than men.
Cancer survival is improving and has doubled in the last 40 years in the UK.
Cancer survival is generally higher in people diagnosed aged under 40 years old, with the exception of breast, bowel and prostate cancers, where survival is highest in middle age.

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Cancer risk

1 in 2 people in the UK born after 1960 will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime.
A person’s risk of developing cancer depends on many factors, including age, genetics, and exposure to risk factors.
Around 4 in 10 UK cancer cases every year could be prevented, that’s more than 135,000 every year.
Nearly 112,000 England cases, around 13,000 Scotland cancer cases, around 7,200 Wales cancer cases, and around 3,500 Northern Ireland cancer cases every year could be prevented.
Smoking is the largest cause of cancer in the UK, accounting for 15% of all cancer cases.

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Cancer screening and diagnosis

Almost half of cancers are diagnosed at a late stage in England (2014) and Northern Ireland (2010-2014).
Around half (50-58%) of people in the UK who are invited for bowel cancer screening are screened with a definitive usable result within 6 months of invitation.
Bowel cancer screening uptake within 6 months of invitation has fluctuated in England, increased steadily in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and overall decreased in Wales.
2-3% of people who have bowel cancer screening in the UK have a definitive positive (abnormal) result, in any given screening round.
Bowel cancer is found in 12-15% of men and 8% of women who have colonoscopy or other investigation following an abnormal bowel cancer screening result in England and Scotland.
Around three-quarters (74%) of women in the UK who are invited for breast screening are screened with a definitive usable result within 6 months of invitation.
Breast screening uptake in the UK has fallen slightly since 2010/11.
Less than 1 per 100 screened women in the UK have cancer detected through breast screening. Around 8 in 10 of these are invasive cancers.
For every breast cancer death prevented through screening, 3 women will be overdiagnosed.
Around 7 in 10 (70-73%) of women in Great Britain who are eligible for cervical screening are screened with a definitive usable result for their age.
Cervical screening coverage in England and Scotland is falling slowly.
More than 9 in 10 women in Great Britain who have cervical screening receive a negative (normal) result.
Cervical cancer is found in between 1 and 30 per 1,000 women in England with an abnormal screening result.

See more in-depth cancer screening and diagnosis statistics

Cancer treatment

'Two-week wait' standards are met by all countries, '31-day wait' is met by all but Northern Ireland and Wales, and '62-day wait' is not met by any country for all cancers combined.
45% of patients diagnosed with cancer have surgery to remove the tumor as part of their primary cancer treatment. 27% of patients have radiotherapy, and 28% have chemotherapy.

See more in-depth cancer diagnosis and treatment statistics

About this data

The latest data is used where possible. Source years, coding and counting information are specified in each section.

Find out why these are the latest statistics available.

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