The rate of people dying from cancer in the UK has fallen by almost a third since the 1980s amid seismic advances in prevention, diagnosis and treatment, according to a report.
Around 247 in 100,000 people die from cancer each year, a 29% drop from the 1989 peak of around 355 per 100,000, according to analysis by Cancer Research UK (CRUK).
Cancer remains the leading cause of death in Britain, causing around one in four deaths, and survival rates lag behind those of several European countries, including Romania and Poland.
However, in the last decade alone, the death rate of people from cancer has decreased by 11%. The death rate from ovarian cancer fell by 19% between 2012-2014 and 2022-2024, stomach cancer fell by 34% and lung cancer by 22%. Bowel cancer decreased by 6%, breast cancer by 14%, cervical cancer by 11% and leukemia by 9%. The death rate from esophageal cancer fell by 12%.
But some rates have increased in the last decade. They included kidney cancer (up to 5%), liver cancer (up to 14%), eye cancer (up to 26%), and gallbladder cancer (up to 29%). Other rates remained stable, including those for thyroid, pancreas and melanoma.
Dr Sam Godfrey, Scientific Engagement Lead at CRUK, said: “These figures represent decades of crucial scientific advances. From vaccines that prevent cancer to kinder, more targeted treatments. Thanks to this, today thousands more people can create memories, reach milestones and spend precious time with their loved ones.”
The UK is a world leader in cancer research, Godfrey said, but future progress cannot be taken for granted. “It is essential that the government makes it easier and faster to set up clinical trials, as well as providing NHS staff with the time and space to carry out life-saving research.”
Last year, The Guardian revealed how British cancer patients were being denied life-saving drugs and how trials of revolutionary treatments were being derailed by bureaucracy and extra costs caused by Brexit.
The UK’s exit from the EU had “damaged the practical ability” of doctors to offer NHS patients new life-saving medicines through international clinical trials, according to the most comprehensive report of its kind.
In the new analysis, CRUK said several factors had led to the fall in cancer death rates. They include smoking bans and the implementation of breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening programs. Death rates from cervical cancer had fallen by 75% since the 1970s, largely due to the NHS cervical cancer screening programme, the charity said.
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, given to schoolchildren, was also reducing cervical cancers. Around 6.5 million people have received the vaccine in the UK since its introduction in 2008.
Meanwhile, death rates from prostate cancer have decreased by 11% in the past decade, in part due to better treatments. CRUK scientists developed abiraterone, a drug that prevents testosterone from causing prostate cancer.
However, a growing and aging population means more people are being diagnosed with cancer – one person every 75 seconds in the UK – and the total number of people dying from the disease continues to rise.
Despite the huge number affected, three quarters of NHS hospital trusts are failing cancer patients, a Guardian analysis found last year, prompting experts to declare a national emergency.
Last month, the Government pledged £2bn to resolve the crisis by transforming cancer services, and millions of patients were promised faster diagnoses, treatment and more support to live well.
The NHS has missed some cancer performance targets since 2015. Under the national cancer plan, all three waiting time standards would be met by 2029, ministers said.
