Being Diagnosed with Cancer is More Common than Getting Married, According to New Research

According to new figures compiled by charity Macmillan, being diagnosed with a form of cancer is more common than getting married or having your first baby.

A total of 361,216 cancer diagnoses were given in 2014, which is significantly more than the 271,050 births by first-time mothers or the 289,841 marriages that took place in the UK the same year. Receiving a diagnosis was found to be as common as graduating from University with 370,910 graduates leaving education in 2014.

Separate studies found that cancer is most commonly diagnosed in adults in the prime of their life; usually before the age of 65. It comes as the charity is highlighting how many Brits aren’t prepared for the diagnosis of cancer.

The charity also conducted a poll of 2,000 adults which asked the most-feared disease. Cancer topped the list with 37% voting the disease as the most-feared, followed by 27% voting for Alzheimer’s Disease and 7% being terrified of a stroke.

Shockingly, 10% of those asked said that they feared cancer more than losing a loved one or terrorism.

Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, Lynda Thomas, commented: “Being told you have cancer changes your life, and it can leave people feeling as if they’ve been thrust into the unknown, bewildered and unprepared.

“But as more and more people are being diagnosed with cancer, it’s important that we are all better informed about what to expect if we do one day receive this shocking news.

“Cancer is almost always life-changing, but it isn’t always life-ending. Life with cancer is still life – you’re still a dad, a sister, a grandparent, a friend.”

At present, the success rate of surviving at least ten years with cancer is approximately 50%. At this point, they are said to be cured.

Researchers specialising in cancer-related diseases are becoming increasingly confident that it will soon be a completely curable disease.