Cancer survival rates in Britain remain ‘stuck in the 1990s’ as research shows Scandinavian countries such as Sweden and Denmark are ‘decades ahead’ in prostate and breast cancer care
Analysis has shown that cancer survival in Britain lags decades behind countries such as Sweden and Denmark.
The latest available figures for prostate, bowel, breast and cervical cancer show that UK survival rates are ‘stuck in the low teens’ and are only just reaching the levels some other European countries reached in the early 2000s.
Macmillan Cancer Support carried out the analysis, which looks at how Britain fares compared to countries with similar healthcare systems.
The experts estimate that women’s survival from bowel cancer is 20 years behind Sweden, which had a better five-year survival at the turn of the millennium than England in 2020.
The ‘shocking’ survival data shows that 57.6 per cent of women in England now live at least five years after diagnosis, compared to 72.7 per cent in Denmark, 71.7 per cent in Norway and 70.6 per cent in Sweden.
The latest available figures for prostate, bowel, breast and cervical cancer show that survival rates in Britain are ‘stuck in the low teens’ and are only just reaching the levels reached by some other European countries in the early 2000s (file image)
Similarly, survival data from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland show that they are ten to fifteen years behind compared to Sweden and Norway.
Prostate cancer survival – which the Mail has been campaigning for for 25 years – lags ten years behind that of the Nordic countries.
The five-year survival rate in England currently stands at 88.5 percent, compared to 95 percent in Sweden, 94.8 percent in Norway and 90.2 percent in Denmark.
Similarly, only 57.6 percent of men with colon cancer live five years later, significantly lower than the 73.2 percent in Denmark, 70 percent in Norway and 69.4 percent in Sweden.
Breast cancer survival rates in England are also ten years behind Sweden and Denmark, while Scotland and Northern Ireland are ten years behind Sweden.
The data also showed that survival rates for cervical cancer in England are 25 years behind those in Norway, which achieved a higher survival rate between 1992 and 1996 than England does today.
Gemma Peters, CEO of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: ‘Behind today’s shocking data are thousands of real people whose whole worlds have been turned upside down by cancer.
‘It is clear that cancer care is at a breaking point, but this is a political choice and better is possible.
‘We urgently need the next UK government to prioritize a long-term, intergovernmental strategy that will revolutionize cancer care and ensure everyone with cancer has access to the care they need every step of the way.’
It has long been shown that Britain has one of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe, but this uses the most recent data, which gives a fuller picture.
Breast cancer survival rates in England are also ten years behind Sweden and Denmark, while Scotland and Northern Ireland are ten years behind Sweden (file image)
It comes the day after new data showed that more than 100,000 patients were diagnosed with cancer in emergency departments in the past five years.
A report from Cancer Research UK warned last week that 380,000 cancer patients have faced ‘untold suffering’ due to treatment delays over the past decade.
In the latest comparison, Macmillan compared Britain with Sweden, Norway and Denmark because they have similar healthcare systems and high-quality cancer data.
An NHS spokesperson said: ‘The NHS is seeing and treating record numbers of people for cancer, with more people diagnosed at earlier stages than ever before, and survival rates in England are at a record high.
‘It is transforming and expanding its innovative screening programmes, including lung checks in supermarket car parks, at-home bowel cancer tests and using AI to detect skin cancer, making it easier than ever before to get checked, so accept your screening invitation when prompted – it could save your life.’