One in two men to be at risk of cancer by 2027, study suggests

The risk of a man developing cancer over his lifetime will increase to one in two by 2027, a new study has suggested.

Figures from Cancer Research UK suggest that, within 15 years, 50 men out of every 100 are likely to be diagnosed with cancer, marking a rise from the 44 out of every 100 statistic found in 2010.

As well as this, women's lifetime cancer risk is increasing and is predicted to jump from 40 to 44 out of every 100 women by 2027.

However, Cancer Research maintained that survival rates for the disease have doubled in the last 40 years, meaning the likelihood of surviving is increasing along with the risk of being diagnosed.

Age is the biggest risk factor for cancer and the increased danger of being affected by the disease is a largely a result of people living longer.

The types of cancer which are expected to increase the most in the next 15 years are prostate, bowel and melanoma.

Prostate cancers in particular remain a major worry for experts, as it is often impossible to determine life-threatening cases through laboratory work.

Professor Malcolm Mason, Cancer Research UK’s prostate cancer expert, said: "Prostate cancer needs research. We have many questions and research is key to providing answers about the disease. As our population ages, growing numbers of men will be diagnosed with the disease.

"Over the last 40 years prostate cancer incidence rates in Great Britain have tripled, and three-quarters of cases are diagnosed in men aged over 65 years."

Researchers believe a protein called MSMB may be capable of identifying those who are at greater risk of prostate cancer.

Professor Mason went on to say that men at a higher risk of the disease will benefit most from screenings, adding that further work is required to determine if the test could be useful and help to reduce the number of men who die from the disease.

Posted by Fiona Griffiths