Cancer near the top of life-changing events list

A cancer diagnosis is now one of the most common life-changing events in Scottish life, with more cases confirmed in the last year than marriages or first births.

Figures from Macmillan Cancer Support showed there were 31,467 cancers diagnosed in 2015 – excluding non-melanoma skin cancer – compared with 29,691 marriages and 23,695 women giving birth for the first time.

The charity said it remains the disease or condition people in Scotland most fear.

The research is part of a new campaign, called Life with cancer, which the charity hopes will remove some of the fear around diagnosis. Trisha Hatt, Macmillan’s partnership manager in Scotland, said: “This research highlights that for many people, cancer will be a fact of life.”