A new study conducted by Cancer Research UK has revealed there has been a significant slowing down in the rate of improvement in cancer survival rates, with the rate of progress in the 2010s only one fifth of what was seen in the 2000s. The funding gap for research was a key factor cited in the report. However, the study did record an increase in the probability of surviving cancer in the UK for a decade or more. The charity estimates that in the absence of sustained government spending on research over the next decade, a £1bn ($1.3bn) funding gap will threaten further progress.
The first overall cancer survival rates for ten years in the UK were published as part of the report, which suggested screening programmes for bowel, breast and cervical cancer saved more than 5,000 lives annually. Progress was also reported in the fields of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The report also highlighted that smoking, with 150 cases every day, remained the primary cause of cancer in the UK, whilst obesity caused approximately 22,800 cases of the disease annually. However, Jon Shelton, the head of cancer intelligence at Cancer Research UK, said that those areas requiring improvement included timely diagnosis and treatment.
Cancer Research UK has additionally called for the creation of a national cancer council for England, comprising government, scientific bodies and charities. The organisation believes that with a growing and ageing population, there will be an increase in the number of annual cancer diagnoses in the UK, with a projected total of 500,000 annually by 2040.
Despite the concerns raised by the report, Cancer Research UK has stated that £2.80 of economic benefit is generated by every £1 invested in research, with the Department of Health underlining the progress made thus far in treating the disease. The department has invested £2.3bn in increasing the speed and ease of diagnosis, and has launched 153 community diagnostic centres throughout England in recent times
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More