The deadly cancers left behind by 50 years of success

The number of people surviving cancer has improved hugely in the past 50 years, but experts warn progress has been uneven with some of the cancers with the worst survival rates falling further behind.

For some, including melanoma skin cancer, 10-year survival is now above 90%, while for all cancers, half of patients can expect to live that long – double the figure in the early 1970s.

But a study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said there had been little improvement in those affecting the oesophagus, stomach and lungs – and less than 5% survive pancreatic cancer for 10 years.

The government said it was committed to making more progress with a new strategy due soon.

The researchers said advances in treatment and earlier detection were behind the improvements in survival seen for many cancers.

Breast cancer is a perfect example of this, with 10-year survival rates rising from 42% to more than 76% between 1971 and 2018 in England and Wales.

The period saw the introduction of an NHS breast screening programme, plus targeted therapies for different types of breast cancer.

In comparison, the cancers with the lowest survival rates tend to be the hardest to detect and have the fewest treatment options.

Alongside pancreatic cancer, the study says these include oesophagus, stomach and lung cancers, which all still have 10-year survival rates below 20%, after only a small amount of progress since the 1970s.

This has meant the gap between the cancers with the best and worst survival rates has nearly doubled.

Matt Black is someone with first-hand experience of how the type of cancer you get makes a huge difference.

In 2019 the 60-year-old lost his sister, Harriette, to pancreatic cancer, 20 years after his father-in-law died of oesophageal cancer.

Five years ago he was diagnosed with bowel cancer which has above average survival rates. Soon after developing symptoms he had surgery and was given the all-clear.

“NHS staff do an amazing job, but it’s such a difficult time to be a cancer patient, especially for those with cancers which aren’t easy to spot or treat.

“It’s so important that there is more research and support for cancer services here, so that more people can be as fortunate as me,” says Matt.

The researchers also warned that, while overall survival was still improving, the rate of progress had slowed during the 2010s. Longer waits for diagnosis and treatment are thought to be partly to blame.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, said: “Thanks to research, most patients today are far more likely to survive cancer than at any other point in the past.

“But the reality is that this progress is slowing – and for some cancers it never got going in the first place.”

The charity wants the government’s forthcoming strategy to focus on:

• cutting waiting times
• early detection, including full introduction of a lung cancer screening programme
• investment in research, particularly targeting the most deadly cancers

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said cancer care was a priority. with some progress already made on waiting times.

“The national cancer plan will set out how we will improve survival rates further and address the unacceptable variation between different cancer types,” he added.