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There are still vast disparities in survival chances for people diagnosed with certain cancers, according to new NHS data that shows that some cancers are disproportionately diagnosed at later stages when they are far harder to treat.
Although overall cancer survival rates have generally increased in the past decades, the same improvements in prognosis are not seen for patients diagnosed with less survivable cancers, including those of the lung, liver, brain, oesophagus, pancreas and stomach.
The Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce (LSCT) says together these cancers have an average 5-year survival rate of just 16% and make up nearly half of all common cancer deaths in the UK.
The latest data has been published by the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service and is the most comprehensive cancer dataset in the world. It shows that while skin cancer has a 5-year age survival rate of 92.4%, pancreatic cancer has remained at just 7.8% (almost the lowest 5-year age survival rate of any cancer).
Cancers of the brain, liver, oesophagus, lung and stomach do not fare much better with five-year survival rates of just 12.5%, 13%, 17.5%, 19.7% and 23.4% respectively.
War on cancer and 10-year plan
The data comes as Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid launches his “war on cancer” with a call for evidence to underpin a 10-Year Cancer Plan for England.
The priorities include:
- Increasing the number of people diagnosed at an early stage, where treatment can prove much more effective;
- Boosting the cancer workforce;
- Tackling disparities and inequalities, including in cancer diagnosis times and ensuring recovery from the pandemic is delivered in a fair way. For instance, the ‘Help Us Help You’ cancer awareness campaign will be directed towards people from more deprived groups and ethnic minorities; and
- Intensifying research on mRNA vaccines and therapeutics for cancer – this will be achieved through the UK’s global leadership and supporting industry to develop new cancer treatments by combining expertise in cancer immunotherapy treatment and the vaccine capabilities developed throughout the pandemic.
- Intensifying research on new early diagnostic tools to catch cancer at an earlier stage.
- Improving prevention of cancer through tackling the big known risk factors such as smoking.
Anna Jewell, Chair of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce, said: “Today we are to learn more about how the government intends to wage war on cancer. If we are to truly be successful and as Sajid Javid himself said – we need to go much further on cancer to improve the persistently poor outcomes that patients in this country have long experienced compared to other countries’, then we need to take a long, hard look at less survivable cancers and tackle, urgently and at pace, the issues that have pervaded them for many years.”
Delays in diagnosis lead to much poorer outcomes
Data was also published for cancer survival by stage, which shows the stage (between 1 and 4) of a cancer when it is diagnosed. The stage at diagnosis of cancer is an important factor and can have an enormous effect on outcomes. Earlier diagnosis (usually when cancers are diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 as opposed to stages 3 and 4) is usually associated with a better prognosis.
Less survivable cancers are disproportionately diagnosed at later stages when they are far harder to treat. Many patients with a less survivable cancer will only be diagnosed after an emergency admission to hospital or an urgent GP referral after symptoms have become severe. These delays in diagnosis lead to much poorer outcomes for patients with these rapidly-advancing cancers which are currently difficult or impossible to treat at later stages.
The reasons for later diagnosis for less survivable cancers are varied but a significant factor is that symptoms of less survivable cancers tend to be vague and non-specific and most of the general public are unaware of them.
Last year the LSCT’s own research showed that awareness of the symptoms of the deadliest cancers is as low as 4% in the UK.
Anna Jewell added: “The situation is urgent. The statistics show us that people diagnosed with cancers of the lung, liver, brain, oesophagus, pancreas or stomach still have desperately low chances of surviving beyond five years.
“This situation is not inevitable. Between 2002 and 2014, the less survivable cancers received just 16.6% of research funding of more survivable cancers. If we invest more in research, treatment and raising awareness then we believe we can drastically increase life expectancy as well as improve the quality of life of thousands of people.”
The Taskforce is calling for urgent investment for nationwide symptom awareness campaigns to help people spot symptoms and encourage them to seek medical help as well as significant improvements in diagnostic techniques and treatments for less survivable cancers.
