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Cancer rates fall by 10 per cent in a decade

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Cancer rates fall by 10 per cent in a decade

Cancer rates in the UK have fallen by nearly 10 per cent over 10 years, according to figures released by Cancer Research UK on World Cancer Day (4 February).

In 2013, 284 out of every 100,000 people in the UK died from cancer – around 162,000 people – and a decade ago this figure was 312 in every 100,000. Cancer Research UK attributes this largely to improvements in detection, diagnosis and treatments.

The figures also showed a narrowing gap between men and women’s cancer death rates. Men’s death rates have fallen by 12 per cent, compared to an eight per cent drop in women’s, which equates to around 85,000 men and 77,000 women dying from cancer each year in the UK.

Lung, bowel, breast and prostate cancers cause almost half (46 per cent) of all cancer deaths in the UK and the combined death rate for these four cancers mirrors the overall fall, dropping by around 11 per cent over the last 10 years. But for some cancers, such as liver and pancreatic, the rates of people dying from the disease have increased over the last decade.

Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, commented: “Today, one in two of all people diagnosed with cancer survive their disease for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK’s ambition is to accelerate progress so that three in four survive cancer by 2034.”

He continued: “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.”

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