Survival rates in England have improved for almost all types of cancer, according to new NHS Digital figures.

Five-year childhood cancer survival rates saw the greatest improvement over time, with the one-year, age-standardised survival estimate for children diagnosed with cancer increasing from 90.7% in 2002 to 93.3% in 2020.

Meanwhile, five-year survival estimates increased by 8.4 percentage points to 86.2% during the same period. For children diagnosed in 2020, 10-year survival estimate was 82.5%, 7.4 percentage points higher than in 2002 (75.1%).

The figures also revealed:

  • One-year net survival improved across almost all cancers for adult patients diagnosed between 2016 and 2020 compared with those diagnosed between 2007 and 2011, except for bladder cancer;
  • Bladder cancer survival rates fell in both males (-0.4 percentage points) and females (-0.3 percentage points), which NHS Digital said could be because of the shortages of Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG);
  • The largest increase in survival rates was for lung cancer in females (1.6 percentage points on average per year);
  • One-year survival was highest for melanoma for both males (97.3%) and females (98.6%), while five-year survival was highest for cancer of the testis in males (93.5%) and for melanoma in females (94.6%);
  • One-year survival was lowest for pancreatic cancer for both males (27.4%) and females (28.1%), while five-year survival was lowest for pancreatic cancers for both males (8.4%) and females (8.2%).

NHS Digital data published last month found that the number of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 in the most deprived areas of England was significantly lower than those caught early in the least deprived areas, with the latest data showing that for most cancers, survival also decreased consistently according to deprivation.

The largest disparities in one-year survival comparing people living in the least and the most deprived areas were oesophagus cancer (9 percentage points), small intestine cancer (8.9 percentage points) and bladder cancer (8.6 percentage points).

Health and social care secretary Steve Barclay said: ‘It is highly encouraging to see improved cancer survival rates across almost all types of cancer for men and women and record survival rates for children.

‘One and five year survival rates for patients with melanomas and testicular cancer are above 90% and the five year survival rate for women diagnosed with breast cancer at an early stage is now also over 90%.

‘For children the five year cancer survival rate continues to improve and is now over 86%.

‘We know there is still more to do and we remain focused on fighting cancer on all fronts – prevention, diagnosis, treatment, research and funding – so we can deliver the best possible outcomes for patients.

‘Today more patients are being diagnosed and starting treatment earlier with 92 community diagnostic centres open since 2021 delivering over three million tests, scans and checks including to detect cancer.’

However, research published earlier this week found that around half of NHS trusts in England fell short of the two-week-wait cancer referral target in every single month of 2022. For the first time last year, the UK National Screening Committee recommended that all four nations in the UK should implement a national lung cancer screening programme, while since last year, all GP practices in England have been able to directly order fast-track cancer diagnostic tests for their patients.

A version of this article first appeared on our sister publication Pulse. Add Related Article