New official figures have revealed a stark 'postcode lottery' in cancer care across England, with survival rates varying by up to 12 per cent depending on where patients live. The data, released by the Office for National Statistics, shows that women's one-year survival rates differ by 10 per cent across NHS area teams, while men's vary by 12 per cent.
The report examined survival for eight common cancers diagnosed between 2005 and 2009, including oesophagus, stomach, colon, lung, breast, cervix, prostate and bladder. These cancers account for 61 per cent of new cases in 2013. On average, 70 per cent of patients survived one year after diagnosis, but this dropped to 45 per cent after five years for several cancers.
Macmillan Cancer Support described the disparities as 'completely unacceptable'. The charity suggested that differences may stem from late diagnosis due to lack of awareness or doctors missing symptoms, as well as unequal access to treatment. For cancers of the oesophagus, stomach and lung, survival remains particularly low, with one-year rates below 45 per cent and five-year rates under 20 per cent.
Improvements in survival were modest, averaging less than 1 per cent per year for most cancers between 2005 and 2009. Bladder cancer was the only exception, with survival declining by 0.2 per cent at one year and 1.1 per cent at five years. However, researchers noted that changes in coding and classification may partly explain this trend.
