Around 25 per cent of Britons aged 65 and over will have had cancer within next three decades, a research by a leading charity warns.

According to Macmillan Cancer Support, the number of cancer survivors aged 65 and over will jump to triple from 1.3 million in 2010 to 4.1 million by the year of 2040.

Men living with the condition will go up from 2.8 per cent in 2010 to 6.2 per cent in 2040, while the percentage of women with the condition will jump from 3.9 per cent to 8.5 per cent.

The research, funded by King's College London, forecasts a sharp increase in the number of people living with cancer. It estimates that nearly one million people in the country will be diagnosed with cancer per decade from 2010 to 2040.

Ciaran Devane, CEO of Macmillan Cancer Support, said, “These stark predictions should act as a warning to the NHS and social care providers of the problems ahead if older cancer patients are not offered the best treatment and support.”

Older Britons will account for around 75 per cent of all people living with a cancer diagnosis before the end of next three decades. The figure is up from two-thirds in 2010.

Survivors of breast cancer and prostate cancer will form the biggest groups of survivors. In older women, lung cancer will see the biggest rise.