Cancer Registration Statistics, England, 2024

This section concentrates on the main NDRS cancer groups. 

The 15 most common main cancer groups cover 90% of diagnoses in 2024. 

The seven most common cancers, Basal Cell Carcinoma of skin (BCC), Prostate cancer, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of skin (cSCC), Breast cancer, Lung cancer, Bowel cancer (excluding appendix), and Blood cancer (haematological neoplasms) make up over 70% of all cancers reported on in 2024. Basal Cell Carcinoma of skin (BCC) remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer in England with 186,476 diagnoses. Prostate cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer with 61,115 diagnoses in 2024. Both these cancers have increased since 2023. Excluding BCC and cSCC of skin, half of all registered cancer diagnoses continue to be found in the 4 most common main cancer groups: Prostate, Breast, Lung, or Bowel.  

Figure 1 shows the number of new diagnoses of the 25 most common cancer groups split by gender. More detailed breakdowns by type of cancer and age are available in the downloadable data tables. 

Figure 1: Number of diagnoses of the 25 most common cancers registered by gender, England, 2024