Cancer Cases Surge Across UK: One Diagnosis Every 80 Seconds, Record Highs in Northern Ireland and Nationwide

The number of people diagnosed with cancer in the UK has reached a record high, with one person receiving a diagnosis every 80 seconds, according to a new report from Cancer Research UK.

Analysis by the charity indicates that more than 403,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year in the UK, a figure driven largely by a growing and ageing population, as cancer risk increases with age.

Incidence rates have risen to 620 cases per 100,000 people, up from 610 per 100,000 a decade ago, while the proportion of cancers diagnosed at an early stage has seen minimal improvement, increasing only from 54% to 55% over the same period.

Despite improvements in survival, with death rates falling and more people living ten years or longer after diagnosis, Cancer Research UK warns that this progress is at risk of stalling due to increasing pressure on NHS cancer services.

The charity reports that NHS waiting times for cancer treatment are among the worst on record, with approximately 107,000 patients in the UK waiting more than 62 days to begin treatment in 2025.

Cancer Research UK described the UK Government’s recently published National Cancer Plan for England as a “crucial step” towards improving care, but stressed that meaningful progress depends on turning policy into action through adequate funding and resources.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: “More people are being diagnosed with cancer than ever before. Although cancer survival has doubled since the 1970s, progress has slowed over the last decade.”

She added: “The UK Government’s recently published National Cancer Plan for England could make a big difference, but only if it turns into improvements for cancer patients. Publishing the plan is not a ‘job done’ on cancer: ambitions to diagnose cancers earlier, meet cancer wait targets and improve best practice treatment must happen quickly.”

The charity is calling for the widespread and effective rollout of screening programmes, including for lung cancer, and the accelerated introduction of innovative cancer tests to help improve early detection and ease pressure on services.