The number of deaths caused by cancer has fallen by 10% in the past 10 years, according to new figures published by Cancer Research UK.
According to the charity, 284 out of every 100,000 people in the UK died from cancer in 2013, or roughly 162,000 people. In 2003, 312 in every 100,000 died due to cancer. Cancer Research UK said the fall in deaths is largely due to improvements in detection, diagnosis and treatments.
‘Today, one in two of all people diagnosed with cancer survive their disease for at least 10 years,’ said Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK. ‘It’s important to remember that even though the death rates are falling, the overall number of people dying from cancer is expected to increase. This is because the population is growing and more of us are living longer. Too many people are still being diagnosed with and dying from cancer, not just here in the UK but around the world.’
Men’s death rates have fallen by 12% from 397 for every 100,000 in 2003 to 349 per 100,000 in 2013. By comparison, there was an 8% drop in women – falling from 259 per 100,000 women in 2003 to 240 in 2013. This equates to around 85,000 men and 77,000 women dying from cancer each year in the UK.
The research also found that cancers of the lung, bowel, breast and prostate are responsible for almost half of all cancer deaths in the UK. The combined death rate for these four cancers mirrors the overall fall, dropping by around 11% over the last 10 years, from 146 people per 100,000 in 2003 to 131 people per 100,000 in 2013.
‘We’re increasing our efforts into key areas of research such as how to achieve earlier diagnosis, and how best to manage cancers which are currently hard to treat,’ added Sir Kumar. ‘Our scientists are developing new tests, surgical and radiotherapy techniques, and drugs. It’s important to celebrate how much things have improved, but also to renew our commitment to saving the lives of more cancer patients. Together we can all do something to reduce the impact of this devastating disease.’