Alarm as UK ‘at bottom of cancer survival table’

THE UK is bottom of a cancer survival table, trailing peers like Canada, Australia and Denmark.

Survival rates have improved since 1995, yet we still lag behind other wealthy nations, a study said.

The NHS said the report, by the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership (ICBP), used outdated information and cancer survival was now at a “record high”.

But Cancer Research UK, which manages the ICBP, urged ministers to “put money where it matters” and address the NHS staffing crisis.

The study of 3.9 million cancer cases in seven comparable countries from 1995 to 2014 found the UK had the lowest survival rates for five of seven cancers – stomach, colon, rectum, pancreas and lung.

Sara Hiom, of Cancer Research UK, said: “More people than ever before are surviving cancer, thanks to research and targeted improvements in care. But while we’re on the right track, the numbers show we can certainly do better. We will not see the necessary improvements in diagnosis and access to treatment unless we have enough of the right staff across our NHS.

“If we are to achieve world-class cancer outcomes in the UK, then we need to see comparable investment in the NHS and the systems and innovations that support it.”

The study, published in the journal Lancet Oncology, also looked at cancer cases in Ireland, New Zealand and Norway.

It found that in the UK, one and five-year survival rates improved during the 19-year period. Fiveyear survival for rectal cancer rose from 48 to 62 per cent and Britain had one of the highest increases, almost 12 percentage points, for colon cancer survival.

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For most cancers, however, the UK remained at or near the bottom of the rankings. It had the lowest stomach cancer five-year survival rate, 20.8 per cent, while Australia had the highest, 32.8 per cent.

Canada had the highest five-year survival for lung cancer, 21.7 per cent, while the UK had the lowest, at 14.7 per cent.

Report co-author John Butler, a consultant surgeon and clinical adviser to Cancer Research UK, said: “Over the last 20 years, we’ve seen improvements in cancer planning, development of national cancer strategies and the roll-out of new diagnostic and treatment services.”

But he warned: “While we’re still researching what can be done to close the survival gap between countries, we know continued investment in early diagnosis and cancer care plays a big part. Despite our changes, we’ve made slower progress than others.”

An NHS spokesman said: “In the five years since the study’s research ended, cancer survival has actually hit a record high, thanks to improvements in NHS cancer services, including the introduction of revolutionary treatments like proton beam therapy and immunotherapy.

“The NHS Long Term Plan will build on this progress by ramping up action to spot more cancers at the earliest possible stage when the chance of survival is higher, saving tens of thousands more lives every year.”