A growing epidemic of preventable cancers will lead to 184,000 people in the UK being diagnosed with the disease this year and will cost the country more than £78bn, research reveals.
The cost of the cancer cases diagnosed in 2023 caused by smoking, drinking, obesity and sunburn leads to £40bn in lost productivity, costs the people affected £30bn and takes up £3.7bn of the NHS’s budget, the study found. Preventable cancers also cost families and carers £3.4bn and the social care system £1.3bn.
