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Early detection key to surviving cancer
Anna Davis10 Dec 2008
CANCER patients face stark differences in survival rates depending on what form of the disease they have, figures reveal today.
Women with breast cancer are 10 times as likely to survive for five years than those with lung cancer.
Men with testicular cancer have the best prognosis, with 96.5 per cent living for five years after diagnosis.
But patients diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas have a survival rate of less than three per cent.
The study, which began in 1999, also revealed that survival rates for all cancers have remained relatively stable.
Women are more likely to survive for five years than men, and the younger a patient is diagnosed, the higher their survival rate for almost every cancer. The Government launched the NHS Cancer Plan in 2000 to improve treatment services. Catherine Foot, Cancer Research UK's head of policy, said it led to reduced waiting times and more specialist surgery and cancer doctors.
She added: "These, as well as reductions in smoking rates and better access to new cancer medicines, will lead to improvements in survival five years after diagnosis. It is essential that the NHS focuses on improving early detection."
A Department of Health spokesman said progress has been made by introducing the cervical cancer vaccine, bowel screening and a new national early diagnosis initiative.
Health minister Ann Keen said: "We are working with the Cancer Reform Strategy board to identify key priorities for the coming year including tackling delays in diagnosing cancer." She said that reforms to Nice, the drug rationing body, will make a greater range of more expensive drugs available on the NHS.
Today's figures show that colon cancer patients in London are less likely to survive the disease than anywhere else in the country. Men with prostate or stomach cancer have the best hope of living for longer in the capital.
A 0.8 per cent increase in prostate cancer survival rates was put down in part to more widespread use of a new test for the disease.
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "For all Labour's targets and initiatives, the key thing that matters to people - how long they survive - is barely improving at all. That's a shameful situation."
Reader views (1)
Diagenic inn Norway has developed a gene based bloodsample breast cancer test which primary target is to detect breascancer erly. The product's name is BCtect. It detect tumours down too 2-4 millimeter. Long before you can see it on mammo. The sale start's in UK in february¨2010 through Quest diagnostic.
- Tom Skallerud, Oslo Norway, 12/01/2010 16:05
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