Cancer affects individuals, their families and the wider economy. In 1975, the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with cancer in the UK was one in four, by the 1990s it had risen to one in three. Research published in early 2015 now indicates that ‘over half of people who are currently adults under the age of 65 years will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime’.

Cancer results in over 160,000 deaths in the UK every year and the cancer charity Macmillan reports that there are now 2.5 million people living with the disease in the UK. The direct cost of cancer, in terms of healthcare spending, is substantial. The National Audit Office estimates that in 2012-13 the NHS spent at least £6.7 billion on cancer treatment. However, its full costs extend far beyond the hospital gates. Cancer robs families of their loved ones, deprives communities of volunteers and activists, and takes millions of workers out of the UK labour market.

This report investigates the wider social and economic impact of cancer in the UK. We explore the damage to our economy and the loss of informal care, volunteering and domestic work. In addition, we highlight the contributions made by survivors, exploring both their economic and social roles. It is our hope that by demonstrating the scale of the destruction caused by cancer, as well as the scale of the contributions made by survivors, more will be done to support the individuals, families and communities affected by it.