Progress in cancer survival rates in the UK has "slowed down", experts have warned. The warning comes as a new study suggests survival gaps between the most and least deadly types of cancer are wider than ever before.
Researchers said a national cancer plan was "essential" to "bring cancer survival trends back towards the best in the world". The study was led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and funded by Cancer Research UK.
The research analysed long-term trends in the cancer survival index (CSI) for adults across England and Wales from 1971 to 2018. Using records from the National Disease Registration Service for England and the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, experts estimated net survival for up to ten years after diagnosis for around 10.8 million people.
Study reveals concerning trends
Researchers found that in 2018, the CSI for all cancers combined a decade after diagnosis was 49.8%. This figure was higher than the CSI at one year for those diagnosed in 1971/72, which researchers described as "remarkable".
However, experts warned that the "speed of improvement in survival has slowed down". In the five years from 2000/01 to 2005/06, the ten-year CSI rose by four per cent, from 41.2% to 45.2%.
Between 2010/11 and 2015/16, the rise was just 1.4%, from 47.9% to 49.3%. There were also major gaps in survival rates between different cancer types.
Major survival disparities persist
Ten-year survival for testicular cancer reached 97%, compared with just 4.3% for pancreatic cancer. Screening programmes had bolstered survival rates for cancers in the breast, bowel and cervix, according to Cancer Research UK.
Survival for other types, such as stomach, lung and brain cancer, had increased by only a small amount in the past 50 years. Writing in the Lancet Regional Health - Europe, researchers warned this slowdown for individual cancers implied a "system-wide challenge".
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: "Thanks to research, most patients today are far more likely to survive their cancer than at any point in the past. But the reality is that this progress is slowing - and for some cancers, it never got going in the first place."
Expert warnings and government plans
The Government launched a call for evidence to help shape a national cancer plan in February. The blueprint aims to outline actions to transform how the disease is treated in a bid to reduce deaths.
Mitchell said: "The upcoming National Cancer Plan for England must include commitments to spot more cancers earlier, as well as backing research into new treatments so that each patient, regardless of their diagnosis, can hope for more moments with the people they love."
Michel Coleman, a professor of epidemiology and statistics at LSHTM, said: "Since I began my career in cancer research, I've seen substantial increases in survival for most types of cancer. Our understanding of cancer biology has expanded, effective screening programmes have been introduced, and new treatments have been developed. Allowing this trend to stall will have devastating consequences. This study was only possible because of data on millions of patients from cancer registries in England and Wales. It's vital that the Government provides the political and financial support to ensure we maintain this crucial data. Without these, the Government will be flying blind on cancer control. The National Cancer Plan is a chance to improve NHS cancer pathways and reap the benefits of new research - the Government must take it."
Government response and progress
Cancer Research UK is calling for the national cancer plan to slash waiting times for diagnosis and treatment. The plan should also improve early diagnosis of cancer, with plans to boost participation in existing screening programmes and a commitment to rolling out lung cancer screening fully in England by 2029.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We are prioritising cancer care as we turn around more than a decade of neglect of our NHS. We're already seeing progress, with 95,000 more people having cancer diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days between July 2024 and May 2025, compared to the same period the previous year."
The spokesperson added: "The National Cancer Plan will set out how we will improve survival rates further and address the variation between different cancer types."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
