'Worrying' prediction of cancer deaths spike sparks calls for 'bold action'

Cancer deaths in the UK could increase by 17 per cent by 2029 when compared with the last five years, a leading charity has warned.

Cancer Research UK said the predicted upsurge in deaths underlined the need for a new long-term strategy to tackle the disease, with a focus on funding research, early diagnosis and prevention. 

The charity has predicted that new diagnoses of the disease will jump by more than a fifth during the same period, with experts warning that the statistics highlight the “devastating impact” cancer continues to have on people across the UK.

The analysis by Cancer Research UK suggests there will be about 912,000 deaths from all cancers combined in the UK by the end of the Labour government’s first parliamentary term in 2029.

During the same period, the charity estimates there will also be around 2.2 million new cancer diagnoses, a hike of 22 per cent.

Research published by the charity earlier this year also found that in Scotland, the number of cases is projected to rise by almost a fifth, from around 36,000 between 2023 and 2025 to around 42,100 new cases per year between 2038 and 2040. It pointed out that smoking and instances of people being overweight or obese were the biggest preventable causes of cancer in Scotland, with obesity and overweight levels at their highest recorded level. 

Cancer deaths in the UK could increase by 17% by 2029 when compared with the last five years, a charity has warned. Picture: Jeff Moore/PA Wire | PA

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: “These numbers highlight the devastating impact cancer continues to have on patients across the UK. Behind each worrying statistic is someone who could lose precious moments with the friends, family and loved ones they leave behind.”

Ms Mitchell called for “bold action” from the government to help people live longer, healthier lives.

“Decades of research have meant that cancer survival has doubled in the past 50 years, but this progress is slowing,” she added. “The UK government must ensure they deliver on their commitments to tackle cancer and make the UK a world leader in cancer research and care.

“There are no quick fixes or easy solutions – bold action is needed to help people live longer, better lives. The government should develop a long-term strategy for cancer which funds research and innovation, prevents and diagnoses cancers earlier, and addresses strains on the NHS.

“We’re ready to work with political parties in all UK nations to transform cancer outcomes for the years to come.”

Peter Tomlinson, 81, from Worcestershire, shared his personal experiences with cancer with the Press Association.

Cancer Research UK said there was a need for ‘bold action’ | Cancer Research UK

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009 after his wife, Ali, who was herself a doctor, urged medics to perform a biopsy.

“We went into the consultant room a happily married couple who had just retired, and sadly our world was shattered by the news ‘You have cancer’,” Mr Tomlinson recalled.

After having hormone therapy and radiotherapy, Mr Tomlinson said he came out “relatively unscathed”, but stressed this was down to his wife.

He said: “I came out of that relatively unscathed but interestingly only because my wife called for the biopsy. Did she have an instinct? Because she saved my life basically. And I couldn’t do the same for her sadly.”

Mrs Tomlinson was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after having some discomfort in her abdominal region in 2013.

The couple were forced to drive to another hospital for her to have surgery within weeks of the diagnosis after being told their local centre of excellence had a three-month waiting list.

After her recovery, Mrs Tomlinson was put on medication which mimicked how the pancreas works. However, in 2019, while on holiday in Madeira, her symptoms started again.

“I just remember the amount of late nights we had that week because she knew, and I knew, there would be no operation,” Mr Tomlinson said.

His wife was halfway through 12 sessions of chemotherapy when the Covid-19 pandemic started.

“She’d done half of the course and had a scan,” Mr Tomlinson said. “They said the scan was brilliant and there had been no progress with the cancer but as they didn’t want her mixing with Covid patients they postponed the next 12 sessions.

“The summer of 2020 was gorgeous. After a six-week break they said you can come back now, they had moved the chemo to another building, but by that time it was too late.

“She was very cheerful, we pretended that life was going to go on. We lived each day how we would like to live each day. We lived a life as normal as possible.”

Mrs Tomlinson died aged 72 in the autumn of 2020.

“Someone said to me grief is like a wave in the sea. The sea is calm and suddenly out of nowhere comes a wave of grief. And you learn eventually how to surf it and not go under it.”

Sharing his opinion on cancer treatment in the UK, Mr Tomlinson said: “I worry that the health service is not geared up to deal with cancer.

“My cancer was caught early – not by my GP, not by a consultant, but by my wife. Early diagnosis is so important – the earlier you find it, the better the outcome.

“GPs are under such pressure and I know that symptoms of early cancer can be difficult to spot, but then you’ve got the waiting time before the test. Then you’ve got to wait for the results of the test.

“Has anyone tried to understand how that person feels waiting for something that is going to determine the course of the rest of their life? It is the most horrible, horrible feeling.

“The government needs to understand the emotional impact of cancer on the cancer patient. There was a time when I was younger you wouldn’t talk about cancer. If cancer somehow becomes a dirty word it undermines all the research being done.”