A breast cancer cell (in pink) seen through an electron microscope; around it is an artist’s rendition of the molecules of the drug Herceptin

On each working day of this year, over 1,000 people in Britain will be told for the first time that they have cancer. More than one in three of us will get the disease and the incidence is rising dramatically as our population ages. Cancer predominantly affects the over-60s, although it can strike at any age and there are more over-65s in the world today than ever before. An ageing population means that the incidence of cancer worldwide will inevitably rise.

The success of modern medicine at treating infection, heart disease and other illnesses has led to more people living well beyond retirement—this is certainly a cause for celebration. But this longevity brings new epidemics: cancer, dementia, arthritis, diabetes, frailty, multiple co-morbidity and the inability to