Cancer is now diagnosed every 80 seconds as one type hits record high in young people

New analysis completed by Cancer Research UK has suggested that cancer is now so prevalent, that 1,1000 people are being diagnosed with cancer every day - roughly one person every 80 seconds.

The research, published in the charity’s new Cancer in the UK Report 2026, said that these statistics are a ‘new high’ where disease diagnosis is concerned.

Worryingly, these statistics are putting a huge strain on the NHS, with the health service reportedly struggling to cope with the rising demand for treatment, leading to devastating wait times.

Cancer Research UK has said that the growing number of cancer cases in Britain can primarily be attributed to people living longer.

The Office for National Statistics state that in the UK, life expectancy at birth was 83.3 years for females and 79.4 years for males in 2024.

Experts estimate that someone is diagnosed with cancer every 80 seconds (Getty Stock Image)

“The main reason for the rise in the number of cancer cases is the UK’s growing and ageing population. As we get older, our risk of developing cancer increases. But ageing alone doesn’t fully explain the trend,” experts warned.

The report suggests that more people than ever are being diagnoses with the illness due to ‘more cancer detection tools’ becoming available and cancer screening programmes expanding across the country.

“More people’s cancers are being spotted than before,” a press release, issued on Thursday (23 April) read. “But we’ve also seen a rise in preventable cancer risk factors like obesity. And the main preventable risk factor, tobacco, still causes around 57,700 cancer cases in the UK each year.”

New data has also suggested which cancer young people are most likely to be diagnosed with.

A rise in cases of bowel cancer in young people

According to the report, which was led by Dr Hyuna Sung and other researchers from the American Cancer Society, bowel cancer diagnoses are rising among the younger generations.

Bowel cancer is cancer found anywhere in the large bowel, including the colon and the rectum, as per the NHS.

Right now, it’s considered the fourth most common form of the disease in Britain, with around 48,200 new bowel cancer cases in the UK, Cancer Research UK stated.

More young people are being diagnosed with bowel cancer, with diet and sedentary lifestyles being blamed (Getty Stock Image)

What is the cause of the rise in bowel cancer cases?

According to the Cancer Research Institute, colorectal cancer rates are skyrocketing in young adults, with poor diet, sedentary lifestyles, and long-term smoking and alcohol use being blamed for the uptick.

Early symptoms of bowel cancer include blood in your stool, stomach pain, bleeding from the rectum, and unexplained weight loss, as per Macmillan Cancer Support.

Anyone experiencing these symptoms should have them checked by a doctor, no matter how embarrassing or uncomfortable it may be.

Cancer Research UK notes higher survival rates

Despite the gravity of the situation, Cancer Research UK claimed that one in two people who are diagnosed with a form of cancer are likely to survive it for at least ten years.

This is a massive improvement on the one in four survival rate statistic that was cited in the early 1970s.

The study comes amid the UK government’s decision to pass a historic Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told ITV would ‘protect future generations from cancer’.

The landmark new smoking ban will stop anyone under the age of 17 from purchasing tobacco and vapes for their whole life, creating a ‘smoke-free generation’ of young people.

A new lifetime 'ban' on tobacco and vapes has been passed in the UK (Getty Stock Image)

According to Health minister Baroness Merron, the bill will ‘save lives’.

“This is a historic moment for the nation’s health as the tobacco and vapes bill ends its journey through parliament,” echoed West Streeting, the Uk’s Health Secretary.

"Children in the UK will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm. Prevention is better than cure.

"This reform will save lives, ease pressure on the NHS, and build a healthier Britain."

You can find information on NHS stop smoking services here.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.