Cancer cases hit record high in the UK as one person diagnosed every 80 seconds

Cancer cases hit record high in the UK as one person diagnosed every 80 secondsOne 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 recordCommentsNewsBenedict Tetzlaff-Deas News Reporter and Jane Kirby Press Association Health Editor00:01, 23 Apr 2026View 3 ImagesCancer diagnoses in the UK have reached a record high , with an ageing population partly to blame (Image: Getty Images)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%.READ MORE: Beverley Callard first cancer symptoms as I’m A Celeb marked start of diagnosisREAD MORE: 'We knew something wasn't right - heartbreakingly, flu was deadly cancer'View 3 ImagesThe number of cancer cases detected at an early stage have barely changed in a decade (Image: Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF)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...