According to an analysis released by Macmillan Cancer Support, there will be an unusually high number of cancer cases in the UK in 2015 — with the number of patients reaching up to 2.5 million. The charity notes that the crisis will reach “unmanageable proportions” and that political parties must take quick action.

The reason why this is happening appears to be both good and bad: Because of improved medicine and technology in recent decades, people are living longer and the older population is getting larger. The number of cancer cases is predicted to grow to four million by 2030; this isn’t exactly a “surge,” but rather a gradual increase of cases as life expectancy continues to get longer. The number of people over the age of 65 who have cancer has grown by 23 percent in the past five years, according to the report.

“While it is great news that more people are surviving cancer or living longer with it, progress is a double-edged sword,” Lynda Thomas, a researcher with Macmillan Cancer Support, said in the press release.

According to the report, out of the 2.5 million people who will have cancer in the UK in 2015, the biggest group (691,000) will have breast cancer, while 330,000 will have prostate cancer, and 290,000 colorectal cancer. Over one million others will have various other types of cancer.

“Cancer is mainly a disease of old age so as we live longer, more people will develop the disease,” Nick Ormiston-Smith, Cancer Research UK’s head of statistical information, told the BBC. “This means the number of cases will increase as the UK population ages. Research has also led to improvements in survival so more people are living longer following a cancer diagnosis.”

The experts urge the government to pay attention to the needs of cancer patients now and in the future, emphasizing the importance of diagnosing the disease early, providing compassionate care, and improving end-of-life care.

“We are calling on all government parties to ensure that cancer remains a high priority to the urgent increasing numbers,” Dr. Fran Woodward of the Macmillan Cancer Support said in the BBC video.