One person is diagnosed with cancer in the UK every 80 seconds, new figures reveal, as a charity boss warned that NHS waiting times for treatment are among the worst on record
Cancer cases have hit a record high in the UK with roughly one person receiving a diagnosis every 80 seconds, according to new figures.
Research by Cancer Research UK indicates more than 403,000 people are diagnosed with the illness each year, primarily driven by an expanding and ageing population, with people increasingly susceptible to developing the disease as they grow older.
But the charity warned that NHS services are battling to manage escalating demand, with cancer waiting times across the UK among the worst on record.
Its latest Cancer in the UK Report 2026 reveals cases have climbed to 620 per 100,000 people in a decade, up from 610, while those detected at an early stage have barely shifted – from 54% to 55%.
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Mortality rates have declined and the proportion of people surviving a decade or longer has increased, but Cancer Research UK cautioned that this progress risks grinding to a halt, partly due to strain on cancer services.
It said the Government’s recently unveiled National Cancer Plan for England represents a “crucial step” towards enhancing care, but there must be “funding and resources to translate ambition into impact”.
Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, 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 is pushing for screening programmes, such as those for lung cancer, to be rolled out broadly and efficiently, and for the introduction of cutting-edge cancer tests to be fast-tracked. Approximately 107,000 cancer patients were waiting more than 62 days to begin treatment across the UK in 2025, it revealed.
Cancer Research UK applauded the Government’s pledges to hit waiting time targets in England but highlighted the situation in Northern Ireland, urging greater investment in specialist staff and equipment across the country. The Government said its National Cancer Plan means patients will “receive a diagnosis faster, treatment sooner and better support”.
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.”
Natalia Norori, head of data and evidence at Prostate Cancer UK, commented: “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.”
