Cancer diagnoses in England pass 1,000 a day for the first time
Official registration statistics count 373,574 new cancers diagnosed in 2024, an average of 1,021 a day. Prostate cancer remains the most common outside two types of skin cancer.
An average of 1,021 cancers a day were diagnosed in England in 2024, the first year the figure has gone above 1,000, according to accredited official statistics published by NHS England on Thursday.
The National Disease Registration Service recorded 373,574 new cancer diagnoses that year, 11,833 more than in 2023, a rise of 3.3%. Those headline numbers leave out basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, two very common skin cancers that are mostly registered through an automated process. Including them, there were 616,404 cancers.
Part of the increase reflects an ageing population. But the rate adjusted for age and gender also went up, from 652.6 to 663.2 per 100,000 people, an increase of 1.6%.
The most common types
Basal cell carcinoma of the skin was again the most diagnosed cancer, with 186,476 cases. Prostate cancer came second with 61,115. Leaving the two skin cancers aside, half of all diagnoses were one of four types: prostate, breast, lung or bowel.
More cancers were diagnosed in males, 198,422, than in females, 175,152. The number rose by 3.2% for males and 3.4% for females compared with 2023.
The pattern changes with age. Prostate cancer was the most common cancer in men aged 45 and over, while blood cancer was the most common in males aged 44 and under. Breast cancer was the most common in females from the age of 15, making up 45% of cancers diagnosed in women aged 45 to 54 and 20% in those aged 75 and over. In children up to 14, blood cancer, brain cancer and soft tissue sarcoma were the three most common in both boys and girls.
Deprivation and stage
For most cancers, rates are higher in the most deprived areas. Small cell lung cancer showed some of the largest gaps: among women, the rate was 12 per 100,000 in the most deprived areas compared with 3 per 100,000 in the least deprived. A few cancers run the other way. Melanoma rates in the least deprived areas were about twice those in the most deprived, and prostate and female breast cancer are also highest in the least deprived areas.
Among the common cancers covered by the staging analysis, testicular cancer had the highest share caught at stage 1 or 2 in men, at 90%, followed by melanoma at 87%. In women, melanoma led at 91%, followed by breast cancer at 85%. Diagnosis at an earlier stage is associated with a better outlook on average, the release notes.
This year's publication does not include death figures while the registration service consults on changes to its statistics. Mortality data remains available from the Office for National Statistics.
Screening and local data
NHS England urged people to take up screening invitations and to contact their GP surgery without delay if they are worried about possible signs or symptoms. Breakdowns of the data for regions, integrated care boards, local authorities and smaller areas are due to be added to the registration service's interactive dashboard.
