Men’s cancer risks ‘set to rise to one in two by 2027’

Males are likely to see their risk of developing cancer in their lifetimes continue to climb in the next 15 years, according to Cancer Research UK.

A study from the charity shows that a man's lifetime risk of developing cancer is set to reach one in two by 2027, while for women the odds will increase from 40 percent to 44 percent in the same timeframe.

Age is the most significant factor behind this statistical increase, due to the fact that more people are living longer, making it more likely they will survive long enough to reach an age at which they are most susceptible to the disease.

However, cancer survival rates have doubled in the last 40 years thanks to research developing better techniques for diagnosis and treatment of the condition, a trend which is also likely to continue.

Dr Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, said: "We need to do more work to understand what drives cancer and how we can prevent it, as well as developing new treatments to reduce the number of people who will die from it."

This follows another study from the organisation showing that the number of thyroid cancer cases in England has doubled since the early 1990s.