Cancer diagnoses hit an all-time high – as the NHS reveals the most common types of the disease

PROSTATE cancer diagnosis surged by a quarter in 2022 thanks to a Covid catch-up campaign as the total for all types of tumours hit a record high.

The latest NHS figures for England show there were 346,217 cancers diagnosed, up by five per cent from the previous year.

Prostate cancers were the most common type, with almost 55,000 cases.

Health chiefs said more people have come forward for prostate testing in particular, due to campaigns and attempts to catch up the Covid backlog.

Breast cancer remained the most common type in women and bowel and lung cancers were also in the main four.

Amy Rylance, of Prostate Cancer UK, said: “There was a huge drop in men getting tested for prostate cancer and being referred for treatment during the Covid pandemic.

“By early 2022 there were over 14,000 men missing a prostate cancer diagnosis. 

“We launched a major campaign with the NHS in 2022 to find these ‘missing men’ and this data confirms the effectiveness of that campaign.”

Cases up but death rates down

Men were diagnosed with more cancers than women, with 181,000 compared to 168,000.

Despite increases in the number of cases, death rates have fallen – showing improvements in diagnosis and treatment.

The male death rate was 299 per 100,000 people, compared to 345 per 100,000 in 2011.

The female death rate was 212 per 100,000, down from 237.

Cancer kills about one in four people in the UK, making it the top cause of death.

NHS cancer director Cally Palmer said: “This data shows the NHS is diagnosing more cancers than ever before.

“Our work to raise awareness, target those at risk and encourage people to come forward for checks is leading to more people starting treatment promptly – potentially saving lives.

“We know that some people are still waiting too long and there is more to do to ensure all patients receive high-quality and timely care.”