New NHS data shows that more than 1,000 people were diagnosed with cancer each day on average in England in 2024, reaching a record high since current records began.
The annual statistics, published by NHS England, reveal there were 373,574 new cancer diagnoses on the NHS in 2024, excluding the most common types of skin cancer. This figure is 11,833 higher than in 2023 and represents an average of 1,021 diagnoses per day.
Record high diagnoses
This is the first time the daily average has surpassed 1,000 since current records began, according to NHS England. When common skin cancers are included, the total number of cancers diagnosed in 2024 rises to 616,404.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, said the figures show the health service is "moving in the right direction" with NHS staff working hard to diagnose 1,000 people a day with cancer for the first time ever.
Regional disparities remain
However, Macmillan Cancer Support has highlighted that where a person lives still has a "significant impact" on how likely they are to develop the disease and their chances of survival.
Steven McIntosh, chief partnerships officer at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "The number of people being diagnosed with cancer each year in England has risen to a new record high, yet we know that who you are and where you live can still have a significant impact on how likely you are to get cancer, as well as how quickly you are diagnosed and your chances of survival."
Treatment and screening performance
The latest monthly NHS figures show that 78.6% of patients in England urgently referred for suspected cancer were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days in August, down from 79.3% in July and below the target of 80%.
The proportion of patients who began their first definitive treatment for cancer within 62 days of an urgent referral or consultant upgrade was 71.9%, up slightly from 71.2% in July.
The six most common cancer groups diagnosed in 2024 were skin, prostate, breast, lung, bowel and blood. Excluding common skin cancers, half of all registered diagnoses continue to be found in four main groups: prostate, breast, lung and bowel.
Call to identify younger women
Breast cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel! has called for the NHS to look at ways to identify younger women with the disease. Sophie Dopierala-Bull, director of services and engagement at CoppaFeel!, said: "This latest data shows that a significant proportion of women, one in six, are under 50 when they are diagnosed, so it is imperative that the NHS looks at ways to identify younger women at earlier stages of the disease, to ensure they have the best outcomes."
She added: "Breast cancer is still treated too much like an older person's disease with women telling us they are dismissed as `too young' when they first ask for help. Every late diagnosis represents a missed opportunity to treat the cancer before it spreads and becomes more difficult to treat."
