Advances in treatment lead to more lives being saved
Cancer survival rates have doubled in 50 years thanks to advances in treatment, better detection and diagnosis through screening, and a greater awareness of the disease. Half of patients who are diagnosed with cancer will now survive for 10 years or more, although that will vary considerably from one type of cancer to another.
Survival rates of 10 years or more range from 98 per cent for testicular cancer to just 1 per cent for pancreatic cancer, according to Cancer Research UK. More than 375,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year in the UK and there are more than 167,000 deaths from the disease. Breast cancer is the most common form of the illness in Britain, followed by prostate, lung and bowel. Survival is higher in women than men and is typically higher in people diagnosed when they are under 40 years old; the Princess of Wales is 42. Advances in chemotherapy have played a key role in improving survival rates and the Princess has announced that she is in the early stages of that treatment. Chemotherapy works by killing existing cancer cells and can help to prevent the disease from coming back. There are many types of chemotherapy, but the most common are tablets, and liquids that are put directly into the vein (intravenous chemotherapy).
Kate is having preventative chemotherapy, also called adjuvant chemotherapy, which aims to stop cancer coming back once the main tumour has been removed.
Cancer can spread to other parts of the body but can be difficult to detect, so doctors often advise patients to have preventative chemotherapy to try to eradicate any remaining traces of the disease.
Andrew Beggs, a professor of cancer, genetics and surgery at Birmingham University, said: “Preventive chemotherapy after surgery is given to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back in the future – a bit like mopping a floor with bleach when you’ve spilt something on it, chemotherapy kills any spilt cells. “Young onset cancer is by no means rare. I run a clinic for earlyonset cancer in adults and we are seeing more and more people in their forties with cancer.
“Young people can better tolerate higher doses of chemotherapy and so can be given stronger regimens that are more likely to kill any leftover cells.”
Dr Shivan Sivakumar, also of Birmingham University, said: “Ultimately, it is the biology of your cancer and how you tolerate chemotherapy that determines its success. “The younger you are, the more likely you are to tolerate chemotherapy well.”