50% of women patients 'beat cancer'

12 April 2012

Half of women in England diagnosed with cancer successfully beat the disease, according to a new study.

The research published in a special issue of the European Journal of Cancer also found that a third of men in England who suffer from the disease pull through.

The study said every year some 40,000 men and 60,000 women in England who have been afflicted by the disease would be considered as healthy as those who have never been diagnosed with cancer.

The research, which includes millions of cases from across the continent, found that England still falls behind other European nations in its provision of cancer services.

It found that 67.4% of women with breast cancer, 44% of those with prostate cancer, and 39.9% of patients with colorectal cancer were effectively treated.

There was a lower success rate for those suffering from stomach cancer with 12.4% treated.

According to the research, patients who beat the disease can hope to live as long as people who have never been diagnosed with cancer.

The findings are taken from the EuroCare study and are based on data from 49 registers containing the details of 13.5 million cancer patients diagnosed between 1988 and 1999.

Professor Mike Richards, national cancer director, said: "I welcome the publication of this new analysis which make interesting reading but it is important to stress that these findings relate to patients diagnosed over 10 years ago.

"All these statistics are historical and what they cannot tell us is whether the NHS Cancer Plan is working yet. Cancer survival rates in England have been steadily improving. However, we accept that further improvements can be made especially when our survival rates are compared with the rest of Europe."

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