Interactive map reveals how many people get cancer in your region: Official data shows a clear geogr

The number of people diagnosed with cancer rose by more than two-and-a-half thousand between 2016 and 2017 – but survival rates are on the up as well.

Statistics released today show 305,683 people faced the dreaded diagnosis in 2017.

People in the North East are worst affected, with one case for every 154 people, while cancer is less common in London, with a diagnosis for every 176 people.

The north-south divide is shown clearly on an interactive map revealing where different types of cancer are most common.

While most forms of cancer are found most often in the north, the rift is reversed for certain diseases – notably pancreatic, prostate and breast cancer – which are more common in the south.
 

An annual report by the Office for National Statistics showed there were 270 cancer deaths per 100,000 people in England in 2017.

This amounts to around one in every 370 people, so around 150,000 deaths overall for the country. The figure is a drop from 275 deaths per 100,000 in 2016.

But while survival improved, the number of people being diagnosed rose by approximately 0.8 per cent. 

Breast cancer is the most common form of the disease in England, making up 15 per cent of all diagnoses.

It goes against the general trend of rates being worse in the north, with women in the South East and South West, with rates lowest in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Prostate is the second most common, and most common in the East and South East, followed by lung cancer, which is most common across the north.

For both sexes more than half of cases were accounted for by just three types of the disease. For men, this was prostate, lung and bowel cancer, and for women it was breast, lung and bowel. 

Cancer Research UK attributes the nation's growing cancer figures to an ageing population.

Jon Shelton, spokesperson for the charity, said: 'These figures show that more and more people are being diagnosed with cancer – and with an ageing population, our projections suggest there could be more than 500,000 people diagnosed each year by 2034. 

'With the number of people walking through hospital doors growing, the pressure on an understaffed NHS staff is mounting, and the Government must invest now to ensure the system is ready to deal with this challenge.

'There are many reasons behind the different rates across England, but for most cancer types, there are more cases in poorer areas. 

'Around four in 10 cases of cancer are preventable and there’s plenty you can do to reduce the risk of developing cancer such as not smoking, keeping a healthy weight and being sun safe.'

The frequency of different forms of the disease also varied between different age groups.

Of the 1,459 cancers diagnosed in under-14s, the most common were leukaemia, brain tumours, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and kidney cancer.

Among 15 to 44-year-old males, testicular cancer was the most common, and females in the same age group were worst affected by breast cancer – breast cancer remained the worst for women in the 45 years and older.

For men over 45, prostate cancer became the biggest concern, making up a third of all cancer in men aged 65 to 74.