NHS RECORDS MORE THAN 1,000 DAILY CANCER DIAGNOSES IN ENGLAND

NHS England recorded 373,574 new cancer diagnoses in 2024, taking the daily average above 1,000 for the first time, the health service said. It put the average at 1,021 diagnoses a day. The accompanying figures give conflicting comparisons with 2023: an increase of 11,833 diagnoses and a previous annual total of 355,000. NHS figures identified prostate cancer as the most common cancer, with diagnoses rising by 4.1 per cent to 61,115.

Cancer charities warned that the NHS continues to miss diagnosis and treatment targets. NHS figures indicated that 78.6 per cent of patients received a diagnosis or confirmation that they did not have cancer within 28 days of an urgent referral in August 2026, against an 80 per cent target. For July 2026, the NHS recorded 71.9 per cent starting treatment within two months of an urgent referral. Dr Ian Walker, executive director of policy at Cancer Research UK, said: “While NHS staff are diagnosing more people with cancer every day, too many are still being caught at a late stage.”

Walker said the UK government had pledged to improve early diagnosis, waiting times and access to treatment through its national cancer plan for England. Professor Peter Johnson, cancer director at NHS England, said NHS teams were taking tests and checks closer to patients. He urged anyone concerned about potential cancer symptoms to contact their GP surgery without delay. Steven McIntosh, from Macmillan Cancer Support, called for support beyond medical treatment to help people live well during and after cancer.