Cancer survival in the UK and
Europe, 1995-2009
Cancer survival rates in the UK are trailing 10 years behind the rest of Europe
Cancer survival ratesi in the UK are currently
at a level or lagging behind what many other
European countries had already achieved
by the late 1990s, according to new analysis
by Macmillan Cancer Support.
Using data from the CONCORD-2 study,
which compared five-year net survival rates
for a range of common cancers across the
globe, we show that survival rates in the UK
for lung, breast, colon and stomach cancer
are currently trailing 10 years behind
several other European countries.
For example, the UK is at least 10 years
behind Sweden for three of the four most
Country
commonly diagnosed cancers (colon,
breast and lung). The UK and Sweden have
similar levels of wealth, both countries have
universal access to healthcare, and both
collect high-quality cancer data from 100% of
the populationii.
The table below shows a selection of cancer
types where the UK is at least 10 years
behind other countries. While the UK has
seen an increase in cancer survival between
1995-1999 and 2005-2009, these other
countries have also continued to improve,
meaning that the UK has failed to close
the gap.
Five-year net survival Five-year net survival % increase from
rate
rate
1995-1999 to
(1995-1999)
(2005-2009)
2005-2009
Breast cancer
Most common cancer diagnosis in the UKiii
UK
74%
81%
9%
Sweden
84%
86%
3%
Franceii
84%
87%
4%
Italyii
83%
86%
4%
March 2015
Country
Five-year net survival Five-year net survival % increase from
rate
rate
1995-1999 to
(1995-1999)
(2005-2009)
2005-2009
Lung cancer
2nd most common cancer diagnosis in the UKi
UK
7%
10%
32%
Austria
14%
18%
27%
Finland
11%
12%
12%
Germanyiv
12%
16%
40%
Italyii
13%
15%
14%
Netherlands
12%
15%
19%
Norway
11%
15%
40%
Colon cancer
4th most common cancer diagnosis in the UKi
UK
48%
54%
12%
Finland
59%
63%
7%
Franceii
57%
60%
5%
Italyii
58%
63%
10%
Netherlands
55%
60%
8%
Norway
56%
62%
11%
Sweden
55%
63%
13%
March 2015
Country
Five-year net survival Five-year net survival % increase from
rate
rate
1995-1999 to
(1995-1999)
(2005-2009)
2005-2009
Stomach cancer
15th most common cancer diagnosis in the UKi
UK
15%
19%
28%
Austria
30%
33%
12%
Germanyii
23%
32%
39%
Italyii
31%
32%
4%
Norway
21%
24%
14%
Sweden
21%
23 %
9%
About the research
These figures are based on an analysis of
the most recent results from a global study of
cancer survival, the CONCORD-2 study,
published in the leading medical journal The
Lancetv in 2014. The study uses data on
cancer diagnoses from 279 population-based
cancer registries in 67 countries for
25.7 million adults (age 15–99 years) and
75,000 children (age 0–14 years) diagnosed
with cancer during 1995–2009 and followed
up to December 31, 2009, or later.
We investigated all adult cancers and
European countries included in CONCORD-2
to find cases where the upper confidence
interval (CI) for the UK survival rate in 200509 is smaller than the lower CI for the
comparison country in 1995-99. These are
March 2015
cases where we can be most certain than the
UK survival for 2005-09 was below the other
country’s survival for
1995-99. Therefore there may be other
examples where the UK is lagging 10 years
behind other countries. In this document we
have highlighted clear examples of countries
and cancers where we lag behind rather than
listing all cases.
i
Five-year age-standardised net survival (%) in adults (1599 years). This is adjusted for background mortality in
every country or region by age (single year), sex, and
calendar year, and by race or ethnic origin in some
countries. Net survival can be interpreted as the
proportion of cancer patients who survive up to that time,
after eliminating other causes of death (background
mortality). The quality and completeness of cancer
registration data can affect both incidence and survival
estimates and, thus, the reliability of international
comparisons. However the CONCORD researchers
developed a suite of quality control programs to
systematically check and revise their data.
ii
Both Sweden and the UK take part in the International
Cancer Benchmarking Partnership based on having
comparable wealth, universal access to health care, and
longstanding, high-quality, population-based cancer
registration (Coleman M et al. The IMWG (2011) Cancer
survival in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden,
and the UK, 1995–2007 (the International Cancer
Benchmarking Partnership): an analysis of populationbased cancer registry data. Lancet 377: 127–138
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS014
0-6736%2810%2962231-3/fulltext)
iii
England - Office of National Statistics. Cancer Registration
Statistics, England, 2012. Available from:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.
html?edition=tcm%3A77-352128. Wales - Welsh Cancer
Intelligence and Surveillance Unit. Official Statistics Trends.
Available from: www.wcisu.wales.nhs.uk/officicalstatistics-exel-files-of-trend. N. Ireland - Northern Ireland
Cancer Registry. Online Statistics. Available from:
www.qub.ac.uk/researchcentres/nicr/CancerData/OnlineStatistics/ Scotland - ISD
Scotland. Cancer Incidence in Scotland 2012. Available
from: www.isdscotland.org/HealthTopics/Cancer/Publications/datatables.asp?id=1233#1233.
iv
Data does not cover 100% of population (France – 18%,
Germany – 44%, Italy – 39%)
v
Allemani C, Weir HK, Carreira H et al and the CONCORD
Working Group. Global surveillance of cancer survival
1995–2009: analysis of individual data for 25,676,887
patients from 279 population-based registries in 67
countries (CONCORD-2). Lancet 2015; 385: 977–1010.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)62038-9
March 2015