Although getting older is the main risk factor for most types of cancer, the highest number of new cases is now in 65-69 year-olds, which is ten years younger than in 2006. One in three new cases of cancer now occurs in people under 65 years old.
The figures, published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU), show that once the ageing of the population is taken into account, the trend in the cancer rate per 100,000 people decreased by over five per cent in men, but showed an increase of over five per cent in women from 2006 to 2015.