Survival rates in Britain lag 25 years behind some European countries for common cancers.
Survival rates for prostate, cervix and colon cancers are only reaching levels Denmark and Sweden achieved around the turn of the century. Five-year survival rates for women with cervical cancer in England is 61.4%, 25 years behind Norway.
Five-year survival rates for men with bowel cancer in England and women with colon cancer in Wales are below Sweden in the early 2000s. There is a similar picture for prostate cancer in Scotland as well as one-year survival for male colon cancer in Northern Ireland.
Gemma Peters, chief at Macmillan Cancer Support, which revealed the figures, said: “Behind today’s shocking data are thousands of real people whose entire worlds have been turned upside down by cancer. It’s clear that cancer care is at breaking point but this is a political choice and better is possible.”
Rosemary Head, 83, waited eight months to be diagnosed with lung cancer due to delayed appointmentsMost comparable EU nations spend more on healthcare than the UK. This has led to longer times for diagnosis and longer waits for treatment.
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The NHS also faces chronic staff shortages such as radiographers. Norway achieved a higher survival rate for cervical cancer between 1992 and 1996 than England has now.
Bowel cancer survival in England for women is 20 years behind Sweden. Some 57.6% of women in England live for at least five years, but it is 72.7% in Denmark, 71.7% in Norway and 70.6% in Sweden.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland lag 10 to 15 years behind Sweden and Norway. Five-year bowel cancer survival rates in men in England (57.6%) lag 15 years behind Sweden. It is now on 69.4%.
Prostate cancer five-year survival in England stands at 88.5%, but it is 95% in Sweden, 94.8% in Norway and 90.2% in Denmark. Breast cancer survival in England is also a decade behind Sweden and Denmark.
Rosemary Head, 83, from Langdon Hills, Essex, had to wait eight months to be diagnosed with lung cancer. She finally had treatment in January but is yet to be told the results. Her daughter Jackie, 58, has been caring for her while also recovering from lung cancer.
She lost her father to lung cancer in 2012. Jackie said: “The way my mum has been treated is shocking, and no person should have to endlessly wait to know if their cancer is growing inside them.”
Previous studies said the UK has some of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe.
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