Cancer research in ‘golden age’ as death rates drop – but cases are on the rise
Brits more likely to develop cancer but less likely to die: report
- Cancer death rates in the UK have fallen by 22 per cent since the early 1970s, but cancer diagnoses have increased by 47 per cent in Great Britain during the same period, according to Cancer Research UK.
- The decline in cancer deaths is attributed to advancements in diagnosis and treatment, as well as initiatives to reduce smoking.
- Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, described the findings as a time of “optimism and realism,” highlighting that it is also “a golden age for cancer research”.
- Smoking is identified as the leading preventable cause of cancer, with obesity linked to 13 different types of the disease.
- MPs and members of the House of Lords are urging the Government to prioritise faster diagnosis of less survivable cancers, which account for approximately 42 per cent of cancer deaths.