Cancer death rates ‘have dropped substantially in last decade’

A new UK report has demonstrated how improvements in cancer care have reduced mortality rates associated with the disease in the last decade.

Released by Cancer Research UK to coincide with World Cancer Day, the report indicated that in 2013, 284 out of every 100,000 people in the UK died from cancer – down from 312 per 100,000 in 2003.

Men's death rates from cancer have fallen by 12 per cent and women's have dropped by eight percent, with death rates from four of the most prevalent cancer types – lung, bowel, breast and prostate – dropping by 11 percent in a decade.

Improvements in detection, diagnosis and treatment quality was cited as the reason for this fall. However, it was also noted that death rates from certain cancer types, including liver and pancreatic cancer, has actually risen since 2003.

Sir Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK's chief executive, said: "It's important to celebrate how much things have improved, but also to renew our commitment to saving the lives of more cancer patients."