Key points from article :
Cancer survival rates in the UK have improved dramatically over the last 50 years, but a new study warns that progress has been uneven. Research led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, published with support from Cancer Research UK, found that while half of all cancer patients in England and Wales can now expect to live at least 10 years after diagnosis—double the rate seen in the 1970s—survival for the deadliest cancers remains stubbornly low. Less than 5% of people with pancreatic cancer live for a decade, while oesophageal, stomach, and lung cancers all still have survival rates below 20%.
The gains seen in other cancers, such as breast cancer and melanoma, highlight the role of early detection and advances in treatment. For example, breast cancer 10-year survival has risen from 42% in 1971 to more than 76% by 2018, thanks to NHS screening programmes and targeted therapies. In contrast, cancers with the poorest survival rates tend to be harder to detect early and lack effective treatments, causing the gap between the best- and worst-outcome cancers to nearly double in recent decades.
Patients’ experiences underscore this divide. While people diagnosed with more treatable cancers, like bowel cancer, often benefit from timely surgery and effective therapies, those with pancreatic or oesophageal cancers still face bleak prognoses. Researchers also noted that overall improvements have slowed since the 2010s, with longer waits for diagnosis and treatment contributing to stagnation in outcomes.
Cancer Research UK has called for urgent action in the government’s forthcoming national cancer plan, stressing the need for faster diagnosis, expanded screening programmes—particularly for lung cancer—and targeted investment in research for the most lethal cancers. The Department of Health and Social Care has pledged that cancer care will remain a priority, with a strategy to reduce waiting times and close the survival gap.
