Around 1.2 million deaths have been prevented in the UK since the mid-1980s thanks to progress in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment, according to new data from Cancer Research UK.

Since the mid-1980s, UK cancer mortality rates have fallen by around a quarter, after peaking in 1985 for men and 1989 for women. Had these figures stayed the same, 1.2 million more lives would have been lost. 

‘The fact that over a million lives have been saved from cancer in this time reflects the power of research,’ said Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive.

‘These trends show that together, we are beating cancer.’

The drop in death rates has been attributed to improvements in radiotherapy, screening programmes, public health campaigns against smoking, drug development and the discovery of cancer-causing genes.

The charity said that thousands of lives had been saved from breast, cervical and bowel cancer thanks to screening programmes, which help to spot cancer earlier and improve people’s chances of survival.   

In the 1950s, research funded by Cancer Research UK first proved that tobacco causes cancer. Since then, smoking rates in Great Britain have plummeted by around two-thirds following public health campaigns highlighting the harms of smoking.

Lung cancer mortality rates for men and women combined have dropped by almost a third since the early 1970s, saving around 560,000 lives.

According to data from the charity, more men have been saved from cancer deaths than women as smoking rates started to fall earlier in men.

The introduction of the national screening programme for breast cancer in 1988, as well as drug developments, has helped save the lives of nearly 17,000 women.

Uncovering certain genes that cause cancer has been a game-changer for their treatment. For instance, scientists discovered that the BRAF gene caused malignant melanoma in the early 2000s, leading to the development of a new drug, vemurafenib, and improved survival from the disease by more than 50%.

‘In the years since my cancer was treated, I’ve been able to reach milestones and make memories that I wasn’t sure would be possible when I was first diagnosed,’ said Alan, a bowel cancer survivor.

‘It has been a joy to see my grandchildren born and grow up, with the eldest now 11, and to be able to carry on working part-time.’

Ms Mitchell highlighted that while cancer was a ‘fixable’ problem, the situation for people affected by cancer across the UK remains worrying due to long waiting times.   

Despite these positive numbers, cancer remains the number one cause of death in the UK.

Some cancers like liver, head and neck, and womb cancer, have seen increases in mortality rates in recent years.

With an ageing population increasing pressure on the NHS, coupled with a lack of access to new tests and treatments, there is a risk that cancer survival could decline unless action is taken by governments across the UK. 

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