Credit: NIH
New statistics suggest 10-year survival rates for cancer patients in England and Wales have more than doubled over a 40-year period.
And rates increased substantially for those with hematologic malignancies.
From 1971 to 2011, 10-year survival rates increased nearly 7-fold for patients with multiple myeloma and almost 6-fold for leukemia patients.
Rates nearly tripled for non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients and almost doubled for those with Hodgkin lymphoma.
These statistics were released by Cancer Research UK.
“These results come from detailed analysis of the survival of more than 7 million cancer patients diagnosed in England and Wales since the 1970s,” said Michel Coleman, BM BCh, head of Cancer Research UK’s Cancer Survival Group at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
“They show just how far we’ve come in improving cancer survival, but they also shine a spotlight on areas where much more needs to be done.”
The statistics include all adults (aged 15 to 99) diagnosed with cancer in England and Wales.
An analysis of the figures showed that, in 1971-1972, 24% of all cancer patients survived 10 years. By 2010-2011, that figure had increased to 50%.
For leukemia patients, 10-year survival increased from 8% in 1970-1971 to 46% in 2010-2011. For patients with multiple myeloma, it rose from 5% to 33%.
For patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, 10-year survival increased from 49% to 80%. And for non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients, it increased from 22% to 63%.
There were substantial increases in shorter-term survival rates (1-year and 5-year) as well. For details, see the Cancer Research UK website.
