Three in five (61%) of UK adults fear they won't be able to pay the bills if they become ill with cancer, Aviva's latest Health Check UK Report has highlighted.
More than half (55%) of UK adults say they do not have any savings to cover their bills or childcare if they were to become ill with cancer.
Women are more likely to be in this position (60%) than men (50%): this lack of savings, combined with typically lower salaries, could leave women particularly exposed to the financial impact of cancer, Aviva said.
Macmillan research has shown that 83% of those receiving a cancer diagnosis are £570 a month worse off on average.
Almost half (47%) of the 55-64 year old group said they did not have any savings to help relieve the financial pressure created with a cancer diagnosis.
Aviva said "this is particularly concerning" as 53% of all cancers are diagnosed in adults aged 50-74.
Around three quarters (74%) said they were concerned that they would not be able to access all the cancer drugs they need.
Just 14% of those who have received treatment for cancer said the NHS did not provide all the cancer drugs and treatments available to help their condition.
However, the future of the government's Cancer Drugs Fund, which pays for treatments, is unclear.
The research also found that one in five of those surveyed admitted they do not know how to self-check for cancer.
Despite nearly three quarters (73%) of the population having been affected by cancer at some point in their lives - either through personal experience of the disease or through others - just one in ten (13%) regularly carry out self-checks for signs of cancer.
Meanwhile research from the Office of National Statistics released today (19th November 2015) found that generally cancer survival rates were improving.
For patients diagnosed between 2009 and 2013, 1-year survival continued to improve for most of the 24 cancers examined when compared with the 2008 to 2012 estimate.
Dr Doug Wright, medical director at Aviva, said: "It's encouraging to see cancer survival rates improve for most common cancers, as advances in diagnosis and treatment of cancer result in more positive outcomes for patients. However, there is still room for improvement.
"Five year survival rates for certain cancers - such as cervical cancer - have fallen, and recent studies have shown the UK to be trailing behind other European countries such as Italy when it comes to survival rates. "
