Half of UK population ‘will develop cancer at some point’

A new study has indicated that around half of the UK population will develop cancer at some point in their lives.

The new forecast from Cancer Research UK has been published in the British Journal of Cancer and explained that people's lifetime risk of cancer has increased due to the prevalence of improved healthcare and longer life expectancies.

Previously, it was predicted that one in three people would develop cancer at some point in their lives, but the fact that so many people are now surviving into old age increases the risk they will eventually contract some form of cancer.

However, it was also noted that the UK's cancer survival has doubled over the last 40 years, meaning around half of patients now survive the disease for more than ten years.

Study author Professor Peter Sasieni, based at the Queen Mary University of London, said: "If we want to reduce the risk of developing the disease, we must redouble our efforts and take action now to better prevent the disease for future generations."