Sluggish advancements in cancer survivability in England prompt calls for a new cancer treatment strategy
In a recent study published in 2023, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has highlighted a system-wide challenge in improving cancer survival trends in England and Wales. The report suggests that the pace of cancer survival improvement has slowed in recent years, particularly since 2010.
The study accounted for variables like age, sex, and cancer type, and the deceleration has been observed across many individual cancers, implying a system-wide challenge. The 10-year survival index for breast, cervix, rectum, prostate, testis, and uterus cancers plateaued in the last 10-15 years. In contrast, the five-year survival index increased from 28.8 percent in 1971-72 to 56.6 percent in 2018, but the progress has slowed significantly since 2010.
The slowdown can be attributed to several factors. Reduced benefit from earlier treatment advances as earlier rapid improvements from screening and therapies have plateaued, an increasing proportion of older or more complex patients with co-morbidities affecting outcomes, systemic issues in healthcare delivery including delays in diagnosis and access to innovative treatments, and socioeconomic disparities impacting early diagnosis and treatment adherence.
Comparison with other high-income countries shows that England's cancer survival improvements have generally trailed behind countries such as Sweden, Norway, and Australia, where health systems may have more efficient care pathways and better early detection. Some high-income countries have maintained steady survival gains post-2010 through faster adoption of novel therapies, centralized cancer services, and integrated care models. England faces specific challenges with diagnostic delays and geographic variation in care quality that have slowed progress relative to peers.
The report calls for a "new, long-term National Cancer Plan" to improve cancer survival trends. However, England is currently one of the few high-income countries without a national cancer plan as a central pillar of national health policy. Plans for a fifth national cancer strategy in England were withdrawn in January 2023, leaving the current national cancer strategies in place since 2000.
Notably, the four national cancer strategy in England and Wales, published in 2015, is now considered outdated due to the current trajectory failing to meet its ambitious targets. The five-year survival index for pancreatic cancer has shown minimal change since 1971-72, with the index remaining at 4.3 percent in 2018. The slowdown since 2010 is likely to be at least partly explained by longer waits for diagnosis and treatment.
For those interested in detailed statistics or government reports for precise survival trends and comparative analyses, I can help guide to relevant official sources or recent peer-reviewed studies.
- The slowdown in cancer survival improvements in England and Wales, as highlighted in the recent study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is partly due to longer waits for diagnosis and treatment.
- England faces specific challenges with diagnostic delays and geographic variation in care quality that have slowed down progress compared to high-income countries like Sweden, Norway, and Australia.
- The report calls for a "new, long-term National Cancer Plan" to improve cancer survival trends, as England currently lacks a national cancer plan as a central pillar of national health policy.
- The four national cancer strategy in England and Wales, published in 2015, is now considered outdated due to the current trajectory failing to meet its ambitious targets, with the five-year survival index for pancreatic cancer remaining stagnant since 1971-72.
