Private hospitals delivered over 318,000 cancer admissions from 2022 to mid-2025

A report from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) reveals that the UK’s private sector plays a significant role in delivering cancer care, with 318,070 admissions recorded between January 2022 and June 2025.

The findings provide an in-depth analysis of cancer treatment trends, demographic insights, and regional patterns across private hospitals nationwide.

What cancers are people having private procedures for?

The report shows that breast cancer remains the most common reason for a cancer-related procedure, though admissions in this group have declined slightly.

Urological and haematological (blood) cancers are the next most prevalent.

'Other' cancers, including secondary and overlapping sites (tumours that cannot be classified as belonging solely to one specific, part of the body), showed the largest increase in admissions during this period.

Who’s having private cancer procedures?

People in the 50–59 age group have the highest number of private cancer admissions.

Admissions among those aged 40–49 have increased the most in recent years, while the 70–79 group has seen a slight decline.

Female patients made up 62% of cancer admissions.

How do people pay for it?

In terms of paying for private cancer treatment, the vast majority (93%) used private medical insurance to fund their procedure. The split between payment methods for all admission types is usually in the range of 70% insurance and 30% self-pay.

Where are they having procedures?

London, the South East, and the East of England remain the top three regions for private cancer care activity, reflecting the concentration of private hospitals there. London has seen the largest absolute growth in cancer admissions (up 5,385 from 2022 to 2024), while the South East has experienced the most significant decline (down 4,905).

Northern Ireland stands out as the only devolved nation to record an increase in admissions (up 130) during the period analysed.

Who is carrying out the procedures?

HCA Healthcare UK leads the sector in cancer admissions, followed by Spire Healthcare and Nuffield Health. The market is concentrated among a few major provider groups, with new facilities set to increase capacity and choice, particularly in London.

Expert comment

Richard Wells, Director of Technology and Insights PHIN, said: “We are independent and not-for-profit with a remit to improve understanding of the role the private sector plays in healthcare in the UK and to help patients make more informed decisions.

“Our latest report underscores the ongoing strength and stability of private sector cancer care. With hundreds of thousands of admissions, robust treatment options, and a strong provider landscape, independent hospitals continue to offer valuable capacity and choice for cancer patients across the country.

“The figures are not directly comparable, over 336,000 people received treatment for cancer from NHS England between December 2022 and November 2023, compared to the average of 91,000 admissions a year in the private sector.

“While breast cancer admissions have seen a modest decline, the overall profile of admissions and treatments highlights the sector’s ongoing capacity to meet patient needs, particularly in London and among the major provider groups.”

David Hare, Chief Executive at the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), the membership network for independent healthcare providers across the UK, said: “These latest figures show the pivotal role that independent providers are playing in delivering high quality cancer treatment to patients up and down the country.

“Our own ‘Going Private’ research shows an increasing openness amongst all parts of society to using private healthcare, with 7 in 10 people saying they’d now consider paying for treatment.

“The research also found that 88% of people who’d used private healthcare – either using insurance or self-paying – said that their treatment was worth the money.

“And with the UK being home to some of the world’s most innovative cancer care – more and more patients are now able to benefit from the high quality, personalised treatment the sector offers which is so valued as part of their cancer journey.”

Additional insights

• Admissions data reflect hospital activity (including repeated admissions per patient for multi-cycle therapies), not unique patient counts.
• The dataset covers daycase and inpatient admissions with a primary malignant cancer diagnosis, excluding outpatient treatments and diagnostics. As a result, most external beam radiotherapy sessions are not reflected in these figures.
• Chemotherapy is the most common treatment method, accounting for 64% of private cancer care admissions. This is in part explained by the nature of this treatment as it usually requires multiple admissions.

The costs of private breast cancer treatment

The majority of patients being admitted for private cancer care use medical insurance. You will usually need to have a policy before you get a cancer diagnosis in order to use it (otherwise it is known as a ‘pre-existing condition’ and may not be covered. You will also need to ensure cancer is included in your policy.

Alternatively, you can choose to ‘self-pay’ for your procedure. Every patient is different, and costs will depend on the type of procedure, your health and location among other factors.

Indicative costs for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment with self-pay are:

• A single blood test can cost between £40-£250
• Diagnostic tests such as ultrasound, biopsy or MRI can range from £250 to £1,000
• A biopsy can cost over £1,000
• A mastectomy can cost from £7,000.

For prostate cancer, costs can be in the range up to:

• MRI up to £1,500
• Biopsy £5,000
• Radiotherapy £30,000
• Robotic assisted prostatectomy £30,000

Patients may require a combination of these, and other, procedures.