More Than 373,000 People in England Diagnosed With Cancer in 2024, a Record

More than 373,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in England in 2024, the highest figure on record, according to The Guardian. That is an average of 1,021 people a day, up from 972 a day in 2023, the newspaper reported, citing NHS England data.

Prostate, breast, lung and bowel cancers together accounted for half of all new diagnoses in England.

The share of first-time cancers found at stage 1 or 2, the earlier stages of the disease, rose to 56.7% in 2024 from 55.8% in 2023.

Waiting times for diagnosis and treatment remain below the targets set for them. In August, 78.6% of patients urgently referred for suspected cancer were either diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days, against an 80% target. The NHS Cancer Programme's Faster Diagnosis Standard sets a maximum 28-day wait for communicating a cancer diagnosis.

For treatment, 71.9% of patients began treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or a consultant upgrade, a hospital specialist's decision to raise the priority of a referral. The target in that measure is 85%.

Earlier detection has been a focus of NHS England work for several years. A 2022 NHS England board paper said an earlier-diagnosis programme had identified more than 1,100 cancers, and that 76% of those were at an early stage, compared with a historical average of less than 30%. The board paper set out those figures at the time.