CANCER knocks an average of 14 years off life, a study has found.
Despite survival rates improving, patients still lose 2.2million years to tumours annually, Cancer Research UK said.
GettyCancer is on the rise in the UK[/caption]
GettyMichelle Mitchell chief of CRUK, left, said: ‘Cancer must be top of the agenda for government.’[/caption]
That’s a fall of 15 per cent per person since the late 1980s.
But the overall total is up because there’s been a rise in cases.
There are 375,000 new cancers diagnosed every year.
Around 167,000 die.
Figures suggest half of Brits will get a tumour at some point in their life.
Lung, bowel and breast cancers account for nearly one million lost lives as they’re the most common.
Most likely to kill young, but in lower numbers, are testicular and cervical tumours.
CRUK is developing a “Manifesto for Cancer Research” to boost government efforts to beat the disease.
The charity praised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to outlaw smoking with an increasing age limit.
Dr Judith Offman, of Queen Mary University of London, said: “Measuring years of life lost over a 30-year period provides a lens to evaluate where health policies and treatment have worked and highlight areas where more needs to be done.”
Michelle Mitchell, chief of CRUK, said: “Cancer must be top of the agenda for government.”