Sunday, December 22, 2024

Cancer survival rates in UK lagging 25 years behind other European countries

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Survival rates in Britain lag 25 years behind other European countries for certain cancers as experts say healthcare is at “breaking point” due to “political choices”

“Shocking” new analysis reveals cancer care in Britain is lagging behind other European countries(Getty Images)

Survival rates in Britain lag 25 years behind some European countries for common cancers.

Survival rates for prostate, cervix and colon cancers are only reaching levels Denmark and Sweden achieved around the turn of the century. Five-year survival rates for women with cervical cancer in England is 61.4%, 25 years behind Norway.




Five-year survival rates for men with bowel cancer in England and women with colon cancer in Wales are below Sweden in the early 2000s. There is a similar picture for prostate cancer in Scotland as well as one-year survival for male colon cancer in Northern Ireland.

Gemma Peters, chief at Macmillan Cancer Support, which revealed the figures, said: “Behind today’s shocking data are thousands of real people whose entire worlds have been turned upside down by cancer. It’s clear that cancer care is at breaking point but this is a political choice and better is possible.”

Rosemary Head, 83, waited eight months to be diagnosed with lung cancer due to delayed appointments

Most comparable EU nations spend more on healthcare than the UK. This has led to longer times for diagnosis and longer waits for treatment.

The NHS also faces chronic staff shortages such as radiographers. Norway achieved a higher survival rate for cervical cancer between 1992 and 1996 than England has now.

Bowel cancer survival in England for women is 20 years behind Sweden. Some 57.6% of women in England live for at least five years, but it is 72.7% in Denmark, 71.7% in Norway and 70.6% in Sweden.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland lag 10 to 15 years behind Sweden and Norway. Five-year bowel cancer survival rates in men in England (57.6%) lag 15 years behind Sweden. It is now on 69.4%.

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