Long-term cancer survival rates across Nottinghamshire are better than ever, figures reveal.
New analysis from the Office for National Statistics looked at the proportion of people still alive 10 years after being told they had cancer.
The figures show that 42.8 percent of Nottinghamshire patients diagnosed a decade earlier were alive in 2017.
That was up from 42.0 percent the year before and marks the highest 10-year survival rate across the county since modern records began.
In 2011, 38 percent had survived for 10 years after their diagnosis.
The figures also looked at the 10-year survival rates for patients with three specific common cancers: breast, bowel and lung cancer.
All three saw record survival rates, too.
Martin Ledwick, Cancer Research UK’s head nurse, told Nottinghamshire Live: “Because of the committed efforts of researchers, about half of cancer patients now survive their cancer for ten years or more.
"But there are still big differences in survival between different cancer types, so it's vital that we continue to invest in research to help everyone live longer.”
The proportion of breast cancer patients surviving a decade after diagnosis in 2017 was 77.3 percent (up from 74.5 percent in 2011).
For bowel cancer patients it was 50 percent (up from 43.8 percent), while for lung cancer patients it was just 7.5 percent (up from 5.4 percent).
A Cancer Research UK report added that: “All cancers are different.
“Lung cancer is very different to breast cancer, and one person’s breast cancer may be very different to another’s.
“This means treatment for one group of patients won’t necessarily work for another.
“And without more accurate ways to tell who should get which treatment in certain cases, there’s the potential for unnecessary anxiety and wasted time and money.”
The figures refer to all patients aged between 15 and 99 years old.
The number of patients surviving does not necessarily mean they were cancer-free, the data added.
Across England, 44.2 percent of patients diagnosed with cancer a decade earlier were still alive in 2007.
For breast cancer that rate rose to 80.5 percent, for bowel cancer it was 52.8 percent and for lung cancer it was 7.7 percent.
Earlier this year the Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced plans to overhaul screening programmes, using new technology to allow for faster and more accurate cancer detection and diagnoses.
He said: “Since 2010, cancer survival has improved year-on-year but, historically, our survival rates have lagged behind the best performing countries in Europe.
“In our Long Term Plan for the NHS, we set out a clear ambition to resolve this – and this framework sets out a step-by-step blueprint for local leaders to make that a reality.
“I am determined that our cancer care will not be just good enough, but truly world-class.”
Nottingham University Hospitals Trust and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commission Group were contacted for comment about the figures.
