Cancer survival rates ‘on the up in England’

Cancer survival has continued to improve in England over the last decade, though progress still needs to be made.

This is according to results from the Eurocare-5 study published in The Lancet Oncology, which show that survival rates in England were comparable to the European average for cancers of the breast, prostate and rectum, as well as for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Data from the Office for National Statistics confirmed these positive findings, but the data also showed that England has a below-average rate of survival for kidney, ovary and colon cancer.

Moreover, survival is generally worse for the elderly in Europe, particularly in England, while there are also recurring problems with certain cancers being diagnosed late, leading to poor prognoses.

Sean Duffy, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, said: "We want the best outcomes for all cancer patients and we know that we need to build on the improvements that have been made and do much more."

This comes after Health and Social Care Information Centre data showed earlier this week that an increasing number of lung cancer patients are receiving surgical treatment for their illness.