Cancer in the Uk

Key points

• The four most common cancers in the UK are BREAST, PROSTATE, LUNG and BOWEL (colorectal) — together roughly half of all cases (figures exclude non-melanoma skin cancer) · breast and prostate alternate at the top depending on the data year, so an exam question is far more likely to test the group of four than a strict rank order.
• Prostate is the most common cancer in MEN; breast the most common in WOMEN · next most common overall after the top four: bladder, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, melanoma, kidney, head and neck.
• Most common causes of cancer DEATH in the UK (descending order): LUNG, BOWEL, PROSTATE, BREAST, PANCREAS · lung alone accounts for around a fifth of all cancer deaths · note prostate now sits above breast in mortality rank.