Cancer death rates in UK fall by 11% in past decade to historic new low

CANCER death rates have dropped to a historic low in the UK.

Charity Cancer Research UK said they fell by 11 per cent in the past decade.

Around 247 in every 100,000 people in the UK are thought to die from cancer annually — a 29 per cent drop on 1989’s peak of around 355 per 100,000.

The data shows ovarian cancer death rates fell by 19 per cent over the past decade (up to 2024), while cancer of the stomach dropped by 34 per cent and lung by 22 per cent.

Cancer of the bowel is down six per cent, breast by 14 per cent, cervical and prostate by 11 per cent and leukaemia by nine per cent. Oesophageal cancer is also down 12 per cent.

NHS cervical screening has led to a 75 per cent drop in its death rates since the 1970s.

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The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, given to schoolchildren, is also driving down cervical cancers.

At least 6.5million have received it since 2008.

However, some cancer death rates have increased, including gallbladder (up 29 per cent), eye (up 26 per cent), liver (up 14 per cent) and kidney (up five per cent).

Thyroid cancer, pancreatic cancer and melanoma have remained stable.

And overall, the number dying from cancer is still rising due to a growing, ageing population.

But Cancer Research UK’s Dr Sam Godfrey said: “These figures represent decades of crucial scientific breakthroughs.”

He called for the Government to set up more clinical trials and provide NHS staff time and space for “life-saving research”.

Smoking bans and other screening programmes have also contributed to the reductions.