Cancer Survival More Than Doubles in Breast and Colon Cancer
Cancer Research UK has announced that the number of people surviving some of the most common types of cancer for at least five years has doubled since the National Health Service was founded 60 years ago.
Comparisons have shown that survival for colon cancer has risen dramatically from 18 per cent to 47 per cent while breast cancer survival has more than doubled from 37 per cent to 77 per cent between 1946 and 1998.
Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) have compared cancer statistics in England and Wales from the inception of the NHS to the present day; survival and mortality statistics are based on recorded data; incidence statistics are estimated for England only.Cervical cancer survival rates have increased substantially from 35 per cent to 61 per cent while rectal cancer has more than doubled from 22 per cent to 50 per cent.
Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: "The improvement in cancer survival, over the years, is a testament to the world class research that has resulted in earlier diagnosis and better treatments for patients."
"But we must not be complacent; we want to see further improvements in survival in the future as we improve our ability to detect cancer early and as treatments become increasingly tailored to individual patients."
Source: Nutrition in cancer Editorial Board
