Women treated in England and Wales for breast and ovarian cancers are twice as likely to survive for at least 10 years as compared to patients diagnosed and treated in the early 1970s, while long-term survival for men treated for prostate cancer has more than tripled.
That's according to statistics released July 12 from Cancer Research UK of London, which compared survival rates for patients treated in 1971-1972 to those of patients treated in 2007.
The nonprofit cancer research organization reported that the percentage of women who survive breast cancer for at least 10 years has increased from less than 40% to 77%. Survival for women with cervical and uterine cancers has also increased, from 48.4% to 63%, and 55.2% to 74.5%, respectively. Although the survival statistics for women with ovarian cancer are low, 10-year survival rates have almost doubled, from 18% to 35.4%.
Prostate cancer survival statistics have increased dramatically, from 20.4% to 68.5%. Survival rates are highest for patients with testicular cancer. Only 3.5% will die from the disease within 10 years after treatment, a 30% improvement since the 1970s.
Long-term survival for pancreatic and lung cancer patients remains grim, although slightly improved. Pancreatic cancer survival has increased by almost 1%, from 1.9%. Lung cancer survival has increased by 2%, up to 5.3%.
The complete list of survival statistics for 23 types of cancer may be accessed on the Cancer Research UK's website.
Related Reading
U.S. cancer death rates continue drop: report, July 8, 2010
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European cancer rates declining, report indicates, January 7, 2010
U.S. cancer rates continue their decline: report, December 8, 2009
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