Two million reasons

Why is this number increasing?

The number of people living with or beyond cancer is increasing for a number of reasons:

• Due to an aging population and higher rates of diagnosis in older people.
• Cancer survival rates are increasing and people affected by cancer are living longer due to better treatment.
• Fewer people are dying from cancer.

   

  What do we know about cancer survivors in the UK?

  • There are three-quarters of a million people of working age with a cancer diagnosis
  • 63% of people with a cancer diagnosis are 65 or over
  • 10% of people in the UK aged over 65 have a cancer diagnosis
  • 1.24 of the 2 million cancer survivors in the UK were diagnosed more than five years ago [1]
  • 83% of cancer survivors return to work, but over half of those returning had been off work for six months or more [2]

  [1] Source: Cancer prevalence in the United Kingdom: estimates for J Maddams, D Brewster, A Gavinm, J Steward, J Elliot, M Utley & H Moller Br J Cancer 2009 101: 541-547

  [2] Source: Amir Z, Moran T, Walsh L, Iddenden R, Luker k. Return to paid work after cancer: a British experience. J Cancer Surviv 2007; 1:129-136

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