The odds against dying from cancer before the age of 84 years are improving and should continue to fall over the next 20 years, according to a new study.
The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, looked at rates of people dying from 21 of the most common cancers.
It predicted a drop of 17 per cent in men and 16 per cent in women between 2003 and 2023.
Study author Professor Peter Sasieni, of Cancer Research UK, said early detection, better cancer treatments and a drop in the number of smokers had contributed to the drop in figures.
"More people are surviving cancer because, thanks to research, there are better treatments and more effective national screening programmes," Professor Sasieni said.
But while rates for breast cancer and even prostate cancer are tipped to fall, the researchers predicted a rise in a few types of cancer, including liver cancer in men.
Cancer Research UK director of cancer information Dr Lesley Walker said the projections for the next 20 years were very encouraging as they suggested a continuing decline in cancer death rates.
"The researchers have assumed that current trends will continue," Dr Walker said.
"However, we hope that with new developments, the drop in the risk of dying from cancer by 2024 will be even more dramatic."
Br J Cancer advance online publication, October 14, 2008; doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6604710
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