Cancer survival rates improving

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDDec 27 2010

Survival rates for cancers of the bowel, breast, lung and ovary that were diagnosed between 1995 and 2007 were compared between Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the UK. Overall, survival rates improved in all six countries. However, survival was found to be “persistently lower” in Denmark, England, Northern Ireland and Wales. This was particularly the case after the first year of diagnosis and for patients aged 65 and over. In UK cancer survival rates have improved significantly. Breast cancer survival at five years, for example, increased from 74.8% in 1995-9, to 81.6% in 2005-7. Despite this, the UK still has the lowest breast cancer survival rate at five years.

These reports come in a government funded report study by the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership (ICBP) in which authors suggest that the lower survival rates in the UK may be partly due to later diagnosis as well as differences in treatment and in access to healthcare. Professor Sir Mike Richards, the government’s National Clinical Director for Cancer said, “In England we have already started work on improving early diagnosis, including a new campaign starting next month to alert people to the early signs and symptoms of bowel, lung and breast cancer and plans to give GPs more direct access to key diagnostic tests.”

The study was funded by Cancer Research UK and the Department of Health, England and one of the lead authors was Michel Coleman of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The study was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet. The team looked at four cancers at present in six countries studying anonymous, individual cancer registration records for adults aged 15-99 years diagnosed with primary, invasive cancers during the 13 years from 1995 to 2007. A total of 2.4 million adults were eligible for the analysis. Australia, Canada and Sweden showed a “persistently higher” survival, Norway was somewhere in between and rates were lower in Denmark, England, Northern Ireland and Wales, particularly in the first year after diagnosis and for patients aged 65 years and older.

Dr. Heather Bryant, vice-president of cancer control for the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer said figures look good for Canadian patients. She said, “Canada, Australia and Sweden really ranked as a group at the top of cancer survival amongst these six countries studied.” Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey, welcomed the results. Michael McGimpsey said the results are “good news for cancer patients”. He added, “Our survival rates are better than the rest of the UK… We are continuing to work to improve our survival rates for all cancers to meet the rates found in Australia, Canada and Scandinavia… I am encouraged that survival for patients with the breast, lung and colorectal cancers looked at in this report have improved in Northern Ireland from 1995 to 2007.” Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael McBride, also welcomed the report saying, “Breast, lung and colorectal cancer were chosen as part of the study because they are the most common cancers… Ovarian cancer has been included as an example of a less common cancer with large variations in survival across countries.”