Survival rates for cancer continue to improve

Figures released by The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed the trend for increasing survival rates among people diagnosed with cancer has continued.

Statistics for patients diagnosed with one of the 21 most common cancers (which comprise over 90% of all newly diagnosed cancers) during 2007–2011 has revealed that:

• Survival is generally lower among older patients than younger patients, even after adjusting for death from other causes.
• Five-year survival is over 80% for cancers of the breast (women), prostate and testis, and for Hodgkin lymphoma and melanoma of skin.
• Five-year survival for cancers of the brain, lung, oesophagus, pancreas and stomach in both sexes is 21% or less; five-year survival from pancreatic cancer remains the lowest in both sexes (5%).