Cancer cases have reached a record level in the UK, with one charity warning that NHS services are struggling to cope with a rising demand for treatment.
Analysis by Cancer Research UK shows more than 403,000 people are diagnosed with the disease in the country every year – or around one person every 80 seconds.
This is largely due to a growing and ageing population, as people are more likely to develop cancer as they get older, although previous research suggests bowel cancer diagnoses are rising sharply among younger adults.
In its new Cancer in the UK Report 2026, Cancer Research says incidences of all types of cancer have risen from 620 per 100,000 people in a decade (from 610).
Meanwhile, cases diagnosed at an early stage have barely changed, rising from 54% to 55%.
The report said the rise in incidence trends is partly reflected by increasing levels of obesity, which pushes up the risk of cancer.
Death rates have fallen and the proportion of people surviving a decade or more after diagnosis has risen, but Cancer Research UK said this progress is at risk of stalling, in part due to pressure on cancer services.
It adds that cancer waiting times across the UK are among the worst on record, and that NHS services are struggling to cope with rising demand.
The charity said the government’s recently published National Cancer Plan for England is a “crucial step” towards improving care, but there needs to be “funding and resources to translate ambition into impact”.
Cancer Research UK chief executive Michelle Mitchell 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.
“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 wants screening programmes such as for lung cancer to be rolled out widely and effectively and the rollout of innovative cancer tests to be accelerated.
Around 107,000 cancer patients were waiting more than 62 days to start treatment across the UK in 2025, it said.
Cancer Research UK praised the Government’s commitments to meet waiting times targets in England but said the situation is much worse in Northern Ireland and called for more investment nationwide in specialist staff and equipment.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We have delivered a record number of diagnostic tests in the last 12 months, backed by an extra £26 billion for the NHS.
“And the number of patients getting a cancer diagnosis or all-clear on time is the highest in five years – but we are not complacent.
“Our National Cancer Plan sets out how patients will receive a diagnosis faster, treatment sooner and better support to live well with cancer, with the aim of 75% of patients diagnosed from 2035 to be cancer-free or living well after five years.
“Our historic Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is due to come into law soon, will also protect future generations from cancer.”
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
Head of data and evidence at Prostate Cancer UK, Natalia Norori, said: “Cancer diagnoses are rising, and as the UK’s most common cancer, with 64,000 new cases each year, prostate cancer plays a big part in this.
“The good news is that prostate cancer is highly treatable when caught early. But with more than 1,000,000 men set to be living with the disease by 2040, early detection needs to be a priority if we’re serious about saving lives.”
An NHS spokesperson said: “Latest data shows that early diagnosis in England is at a record high and is continuing to rise, with staff also now delivering 30% more cancer checks than in 2021 – ensuring survival is also at an all-time high.
“But we know we need to go further to diagnose more cancers earlier and save more lives, which is why the National Cancer Plan will transform services to speed up diagnosis, cut waits and improve care for anyone affected.”
Reporting History sees journalists join News At Ten anchor Tom Bradby to revisit their remarkable on-the-day reports of the defining events of the modern age. Listen to the episodes below…