By Basant El-Faramawy
Cancer diagnoses in England reached a record high in 2024, with more than 1,000 people diagnosed each day, according to NHS figures released this week.
Record numbers and early detection improvements
Over 373,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in England in 2024, the highest annual total on record. The daily average rose to 1,021 diagnoses, up from 972 in 2023. Prostate, breast, lung and bowel cancers accounted for half of all new cases. The proportion of cancers caught at stage 1 or 2 improved to 56.7%, compared with 55.8% a year earlier.
NHS misses key waiting-time targets
Despite the increase in diagnoses, the health service is failing to meet its timescale targets. In August, only 78.6% of patients urgently referred for suspected cancer were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days, below the 80% target. The proportion starting treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral stood at 71.9%, well short of the 85% goal.
Experts call for sustained government action
Leading health organisations warned that rising diagnoses reflect an ageing population and overlooked risk factors such as obesity. They stressed the need for more specialist staff, equipment and expanded screening programmes to reduce late-stage diagnoses and address persistent health inequalities linked to geography and demographics. Breast cancer remains the biggest killer of working-age women in the UK, with one in seven women diagnosed in their lifetime.
