Charity wants more cancer research
Government figures have shown an increase in the incidence of cancer in both men and women
A leading cancer charity has called for more research to be done into the killer illness as the latest Government statistics reveal increases in both men and women getting the disease.
Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that in 2010, the most recent year for data, there were 136,372 new cases of cancer registered for males and 132,386 for females in England.
Compared with 2009, the number of cancer registrations increased by 1,736 for males (1.3%) and 2,343 for females (1.8%).
For males, the three most common cancers were prostate, lung and colorectal. For females, the three most common cancers were breast, lung and colorectal.
There were 999 more cases of breast cancer in 2010 than in the previous year.
Breast Cancer Campaign said the figures represent a 6.3% increase in the incidence of breast cancer in the England since 2001.
Baroness Morgan, campaign chief executive, said: "The 6.3% increase in the incidence of breast cancer amongst women in England since 2001 highlights the need for more research into the most effective ways of preventing, diagnosing and treating breast cancer.
"In addition to the 97 research projects that Breast Cancer Campaign currently funds across the UK and Ireland, the charity has also launched the UK's first-ever national breast cancer tissue bank in collaboration with four leading research institutions, to create a vital resource of breast cancer tissue for researchers across the UK and Ireland."
Breast cancer is the most common type of the disease in the UK and accounts for nearly one in three of all cancers in women.
In the UK, around 48,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year, equating to 131 a day.
