Survival rates for cancer in England have been steadily improving, but a gap remains compared with other countries, according to research from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
In a study published in the British Journal of Cancer, researchers compared survival rates for stomach, rectal, ovarian, lung, breast and colon cancers in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Canada, Australia and England from 1995 to 2009 and observed survival trends in England until 2012. Their work involved over 1.9 million cancer patients in England and another 1.9 million cancer patients from the other countries part of the study.
Based on results, England had the lowest survival rate for cancer out of the six countries studied, while Sweden and Australia had the best numbers overall. Across all cancer types measured for the study, England's survival rate was between five and 12 percent lower compared with the other countries.
Still, survival rates for breast cancer in England have improved compared with the four leading countries, and cancer survival for all types except ovarian got better faster in England than in Australia.
The researchers attribute the faster improvements in England to the fact that the country has more opportunities to improve than the other countries in the study. Room for improvement can be observed in the speed at which patients are diagnosed and ensuring that all patients are given the best kind of care possible.
According to Dr. Sarah Waters from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine's Cancer Survival Group and lead author for the study, the way England is improving its cancer survival rate holds promise, but it is important that more be done so that the country can close the gap with other countries. She cited better investments, methods for setting and measuring NHS targets and coming up with new diagnostic means and treatments for cancer as what drove improvements over the last 20 years.
"If we are to improve further, it is vital we continue to work on these areas," she said.
The findings of the study were released after an announcement by the Independent Cancer Taskforce said it plans to save thousands of lives and transform the medical experience and quality of life of patients. Again, better diagnosis and treatment were highlighted as what would make it possible to achieve the organization's plans.
Other authors for the study include: Bernard Rachet, Lars Pahlman, Stefan Bergstrom, Bengt Glimelius, Marianne Gronlie Guren, Mick Peake, John Butler, Claudia Allemani, Michel Coleman, Patrick Muller and Sara Benitez-Majano.
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