Common cancer statistics

• Breast, prostate, lung, and bowel cancers together accounted for over half (53%) of all new cancer cases in the UK in 2017-2019.
• Thyroid and liver cancers have shown the fastest increases in incidence in both males and females over the past decade in the UK.
• Incidence of melanoma skin cancer, kidney cancer, and head and neck cancers has also increased markedly in females over the past decade in the UK.
• Incidence of melanoma skin cancer, kidney cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma has also increased markedly in males over the past decade in the UK.
• Cancer of unknown primary and stomach cancers have shown the fastest decreases in incidence in both males and females over the past decade in the UK.
• For lung, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, oesophageal cancers, and all cancers excluding non-melanoma cancer the incidence trend differs between the genders.
• Incidence rates are projected to rise for most types of cancer in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040
• Among cancer types where rates are projected to rise in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, the size of the increase ranges from less
• For most cancer types, incidence rates in females and males in England are higher in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017). There are some exceptions where incidence rates are higher in the least deprived quintile, including female breast, prostate, and melanoma skin cancers.

• Lung, bowel, breast and prostate cancers together accounted for almost half (45%) of all cancer deaths in the UK in 2017-2019.
• Around a fifth of all cancer deaths are from lung cancer.
• Among the 20 most common causes of cancer death, liver cancer has shown the fastest increase in mortality in both females and males over the past decade in the UK.
• Among the 20 most common causes of cancer death, stomach cancer has shown the fastest decrease in mortality in both females and males over the past decade in the UK.
• Mortality rates are projected to fall for most types of cancer in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
• Among cancer types where rates are projected to fall in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040, the size of the decrease ranges from less than 1% (kidney cancer) to 29% (mesothelioma).
• Among cancer types where rates are projected to rise in the UK between 2014 and 2035, the size of the increase ranges from less than 1% (small intestinal cancer) to 45% (anal cancer).

• Survival varies between cancer types, ranging from 98% for testicular cancer to just 1% for pancreatic cancer.
• Many of the most commonly diagnosed cancers have ten-year survival of 50% or more (2010-11).
• More than 80% of people diagnosed with cancer types which are easier to diagnose and/or treat survive their cancer for ten years or more (2010-11).
• Less than 20% of people diagnosed with cancer types which are difficult to diagnose and/or treat survive their cancer for ten years or more (2010-11).

See our Treatment Data Hub which gathers information and statistics across a number of cancer treatment measures, including proportions of treatments given over time and detailed data on radiotherapy delivery. You can also ”view overviews of many national cancer site audits, split by site and country.

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