Cancer - Now More Likely Than Marriage or Children

People often state that the the happiest day of their life is either getting married or witnessing the birth of their first child. As common as those two occurrences are these days around the world, there's another monumental occasion that you can add to the list - receiving a cancer diagnosis.

Emerging research from the United Kingdom indicates that you?re now more likely to develop some form of cancer than you are to marry or have a baby.

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Analysis conducted by Macmillan Cancer Support, one of Britain?s largest charities and specialty care centers, noted there were over 360,000 separate cancer diagnoses during 2014, in the UK alone. Compare that to the number of new marriages in the UK in 2014, ~290,000, and you begin to realize the gravity of the situation.

Researchers also showed that developing cancer was as common as graduating from a university and even more frequently occurring that women having their first child. To put some numbers to that, there were 271,050 babies born to first time ?mums? in the Wales and England in 2015, and 319,011 new instances of cancer in those regions, respectively.

Other Cancer Statistics

The team of researchers also revealed a number of other alarming statistics in their recent findings, including:

• Over the last 10 years, more than 1.2 million people have received a cancer diagnosis who were YOUNGER than 65
• 343,000 people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s were diagnosed with cancer in the UK between 2006 - 2015
• 42% of cancer cases are preventable with early diagnosis
• Over 161,000 deaths occur each year as a result of cancer
• 50% of those diagnosed with cancer survive the disease for at least 10 years
• 1 in 2 people born in the UK after 1960 will be diagnosed with some form of cancer

CEO of Macmillan Cancer Support, Lynda Thomas, said in a recent interview:

"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."

Cancer Fear is Rising

One other alarming statistic discovered by the researchers was that people now fear cancer more than other life-threatening diseases including Alzheimer?s, heart disease, stroke, or multiple sclerosis (MS). On top of that, roughly 10% of the UK population actually fear cancer more than losing a loved one, terrorism, or their own death.

But, 90% of those currently battling cancer stated they still continue their lives as normally as they are able to, cancer be damned!

How alarmed are you by these new statistics? Are you more likely to embrace early detection measure or more frequent doctor visits to get ahead of developing cancers?

Leave a comment down below with your thoughts.

References

"Cancer Statistics for the UK." Cancer Research UK, www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics.