Death rates from lung cancer in the UK have fallen by 22% over the past decade, according to new analysis of national cancer statistics.
The data, analysed by Cancer Research UK, shows significant progress in tackling the country’s deadliest cancer, with fewer people dying from the disease each year.
The impact over the last decade
Overall cancer death rates in the UK have reached a historic low, falling by 11% in the last decade. But the decline in lung cancer deaths has been even steeper. This highlights the impact of prevention efforts, earlier diagnosis and improvements in treatment.
247 in every 100,000 people in the UK now die from cancer each year, compared with about 355 per 100,000 at the peak in 1989. This is a 29% drop over the longer term.
Experts say the fall in lung cancer deaths reflects a combination of factors, including reductions in smoking rates, advances in treatment and growing efforts to detect the disease earlier.
A word from our CEO
Paula Chadwick, chief executive of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said the new figures reflect decades of hard work and progress across the lung cancer community.
“Seeing lung cancer deaths fall by more than a fifth over the last decade is hugely encouraging and a testament to the tireless work of researchers, clinicians, charities and campaigners,” she said.
“From the rollout of lung cancer screening to significant advances in treatments for all stages of the disease, we now have more tools than ever before in the fight against lung cancer.”
“The battle is far from over. If we want to keep saving more lives, we must continue expanding early detection through lung cancer screening and ensure people can access diagnosis and treatment quickly. We cannot become complacent — we must build on this progress so more people can survive lung cancer.”
Campaigners say sustained investment in early diagnosis, research and screening will be essential to maintain the downward trend in lung cancer deaths in the years ahead.
“Early detection is key to surviving lung cancer,” Chadwick added. “Thanks to screening programmes, more people are now being diagnosed at an earlier stage, when there are more effective treatment options available.
“But screening alone will not solve the problem. Most people with lung cancer will still be diagnosed outside of screening, so we must improve symptomatic diagnosis, too. That means continuing vital work on prevention, raising awareness of symptoms, combating stigma and expanding initiatives such as self-request chest X-ray programmes.”
Moving forward
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is currently working with three pilot programmes in Leeds, Greater Manchester and Leicester, which allow people with symptoms to bypass their GP and request a chest x-ray directly. Early results show this approach has the potential to speed up diagnosis for anyone with suspected lung cancer.
“Self-request chest X-ray (CXR) services are proving to be a powerful, practical intervention,” Paula concludes, “They make it easier for people with symptoms to access vital tests quickly and can help detect lung cancer earlier.”
She added that the success of early schemes has already influenced national policy.
“The impact has been so promising that a commitment to trial further pilots has been included in the National Cancer Plan,” Chadwick said.
“Our ambition is to make it as easy as possible for NHS trusts to introduce self-request chest x-ray services. We are working with existing pilots to develop a dedicated resource hub for healthcare professionals, commissioners and service leads, helping them establish a self-request chest X-ray pathway in their own areas.”